The Eye of Eden
by Nyouya
Summary: Set 3 years after Chosen in Sunnydale. AU-ish. Spike and Buffy are out one night and come face to face with the reason Buffy didn't feel whole when she came back from Heaven. This woman turns everything upside down when she asks for help.
1. Disclaimer

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel characters or plotlines. I do own Julie, but all the other characters belong to the BTVS and Angel franchise.

Sunnydale was not destroyed at the end of Chosen. The school was, though. Spike did have to give his life in order to save the world, but came back to Sunnydale and Buffy after spending a short period of time at Wolfram and Hart with Angel. The potential Slayers were never activated. Tara didn't die; Oz did in her place. Anya didn't die either, and Xander didn't lose his eye. The Watcher's Council was replaced with a better one that Giles is the head of. I think it is safe to say that this story doesn't really follow Chosen much. Wolfram and Hart was disbanded, and moved the gang back to the Hyperion, but still sometimes refers to his business as Wolfram and Hart. This story doesn't really follow the Angel plotline.

Plot: Spike and Buffy go out one night to patrol. They meet a very mysterious girl with strange powers, who claims to need the Scooby Gang's help. She has a ring that if it falls into the wrong hands will bring the Devil to this plain of existence. The Scooby Gang agree to help, and along the way have their lives quickly thrown for a loop, and turned upside down.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"I still don't get why you don't bet with actual money instead of kittens." Buffy said over her shoulder at the blonde, lean vampire trailing her. Spike shrugged, lighting yet another cigarette. "That's your fourth one since I pulled you away from the poker table."

"So? I'm a vampire, or did you forget that in your rant about kittens vs. money, pet?" Spike pointed out. "I can smoke all I want. Since when do you care about how much I smoke?"

"Since second-hand smoke kills." Buffy fanned a hand in front of her face, trying to rid the air of the blue-grey smoke. Spike rolled his eyes at Buffy's dramatic gesture, but stamped out the cigarette anyway. "Thank you."

"I did that only to shut you up, luv." Spike smirked when Buffy shot him a dirty glare. "So why'd you pull me away from my game?"

"Patrol." Buffy answered simply as she entered the graveyard. Spike followed, picking up his pace so he could walk beside the Slayer. "Giles feels that the demon world is becoming restless. He thinks something is on its way here, but he's not sure about what it is. Until then, I'm supposed to patrol with someone else. Xander, Willow, and the rest are all busy, so you won."

"Jeez, Slayer, I didn't need such a long explanation. Your first response would've done just fine." Spike grumbled, earning him a smack on the shoulder.

"I just wish Giles had more info." Buffy twirled a stake in her hand. She watched it as though mesmerized. "I hate surprises."

"Perhaps I can shed some light on what's going on." Buffy and Spike spun on their heels to face the voice. Both tensed as the girl approached the pair. She had chin length blonde hair pulled back in a half-ponytail. Her black combat boots made nearly no noise as she walked. Her long black leather coat made her look tinier than what they suspected she actually was. Underneath she wore a black tank top, and dark blue jeans with holes in the knees. Confidence rolled off this stranger in waves, though, making her appearance less thrown together. "You're a hard person to find in this town, Buffy Summers."

"Why are you looking for her?" Spike growled, ready to switch to game face at the first sign of trouble. This girl wasn't a demon, that much he could tell, but that didn't necessarily mean that she wasn't dangerous. That worn leather coat could hide many weapons in it.

"I don't have time for your doubt, vampire." The girl snapped, shocking both Buffy and Spike. Her eyes darted sharply to look at Spike. How had this stranger known Spike was a vampire? "I need to talk to Buffy. Either you let me, and stop wasting my time, or we all are in trouble."

"Buffy." Spike hissed at the Slayer as she took a slight step forward. A wide relieved smile spread across the girl's face. A face that was very similar to Buffy's, though there were some noticeable differences. There was no way she heard Spike.

"I'm sorry about my attitude, but this is kind of urgent." The girl sighed, letting the tension from her body. Spike and Buffy shared a confused look. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Julie, the Anti-Slayer. I thought you would feel the pull, Buffy, and just know."

"How would she know that?" Spike frowned. He had never heard of the Anti-Slayer. He knew that there were potential slayers out in the world, but he had never heard of the Anti-Slayer.

"I'm sorry for assuming…Anyway, Angel said I could find you in Sunnydale." Julie hurried to say. She was about to continue, but the look on Buffy's face stopped her. "Did I say something wrong?"

"You know Angel?" Buffy breathed out her question. Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. Why hadn't Angel called her to tell her about the Anti-Slayer? He still held a place in her heart, and probably always would even if she now only loved him as a friend.

"Yeah, I almost killed him until I realized who he was, and he explained things in greater detail to me." Julie laughed nervously. She knew that Buffy and him had 'thing' going on years ago, but the Slayer was acting oddly, putting Julie on edge. "I still don't get the soul thing, or him having a son, or him even being good. I've never heard of a good vampire before until I met him. Felt bad about almost staking him, though."

"You should have gone through with it." Spike joked, earning himself a cold glare from Buffy, who was still trying to digest it all.

"I can see that vampires having a soul isn't just a one-in-a-million-years type deal." Julie eyed Spike up and down, making him suddenly uncomfortable. There was something about this girl that was just not right. The only explanation was that Angel had told her. "Angel didn't have to tell me that."

Spike's mouth fell open. Was this girl a mind reader? Spike searched his senses, concentrating on Julie, sorting through everything. He could feel that she was prying into his thoughts and trying to read them. There was definitely something otherworldly about her, but she still wasn't a demon. Spike glanced over at Buffy only to find her also concentrating.

"So you met Angel by chance?" Buffy asked. She tried to force herself to get past the Angel part of this whole predicament, but she couldn't.

"You could say that. But before I tell you my whole story, I think it would be best if we talked somewhere more private." Julie glanced around. Though she could sense that there were no demons in the immediate vicinity, she couldn't be sure of how well some of the demons could hear. The information was highly precious, and, at all costs, had to stay out of the wrong hands. Especially on a Hellmouth. "It's too dangerous to speak openly here. Do you still have a Watcher?"

"In a way." Buffy shrugged. After taking a moment to digest it all, she nodded. "Let's go."

Spike couldn't believe that Buffy was bringing Julie along, but he snapped his mouth shut again. Buffy led them back through the graveyard with Spike and Julie following side-by-side. Neither of them really trusted the other, so neither of them would walk in front of the other. Julie spun a stake in her hand, silently reminding Spike of what she could do. Spike's eyes had a yellow glow to them, warning her of what he was.

"Giles! Get out here!" Buffy called out as she entered Giles' house. He exited the kitchen with a look of worry and concern.

"Buffy, what's wr—" Giles started to ask, but trailed off when Buffy moved aside to reveal Julie, who was standing off with Spike outside. "Who's that?"

"The Anti-Slayer." Buffy crossed her arms. Giles was at a loss for words, just as Buffy expected. "What does that mean?"

"Well…I…er…I don't know." Giles stumbled over his words. He couldn't peal his eyes off Julie, who was still outside glaring up at Spike. "What are they doing?"

"Excuse me." Julie said to Spike, and then entered the house. She cast a look over her shoulder warily. Both of them had refused to enter the house before the other. It was childish, she knew that, but there were more pressing matters to attend to. "Are you Buffy's Watcher? What did Angel say your name was?"

"You've spoken with Angel?" Giles asked in shock. Spike rolled his eyes; were people ever going to get over his grandsire? Julie nodded, and held out her hand. "Rupert Giles."

"Julie." Julie smiled warmly at Giles, causing Spike to snort. Julie and Buffy shot him identical glares. Spike shook his head, and went further into the house in search of the TV.

"I'm sorry, and I don't mean to be rude, but what is an Anti-Slayer?" Giles asked, curiosity finally forcing him to ask. He gestured for Buffy and Julie to follow him into the kitchen so they could sit.

"No offence, but it sounds evil." Buffy commented as she and Giles sat down across from Julie.

"None taken." Julie shrugged it off. She had been called worse. She shrugged out of her coat, draping it over the back of the chair. Buffy couldn't tear her eyes away from Julie's tattoo covered arms. Most of the tattoos she recognized as being gods or goddesses. "To explain the title is easy, but it does imply that I am evil. Buffy, as God commissioned you, I was chosen for the job by the Devil. Thus the word 'anti'. I am in no way evil, though. I know that doesn't sound like much coming from me after what I just told you, but it's true."

"So let me get this straight. You're working for the Devil?" Giles tried to sort through and understand what Julie had just told him.

"Kind of. It's more complicated than that." Julie frowned trying to pick the best way to explain who/what she was. "It's more like when Buffy was ripped out of Heaven, I was kicked out of Hell. I'm not allowed to die until Buffy does. Again."

"Why me? Is there an Anti-Slayer for every Slayer?" Buffy asked. Spike had joined them once he heard Julie say she was hired by the Devil. Buffy looked up at him standing in the doorway. "Have you heard of this before?"

"It's never happened before." Julie told them before Spike could respond. Buffy turned her attention back to Julie. "When you died, your soul split in two, one half went to Heaven, and the other more sinful one went to Hell. When your friends brought you back, your soul didn't meld back together."

"Are you trying to tell us that you are Buffy's other half?" Spike snorted. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This story was ridiculous. "Why should we believe you?"

"Do you have a witch or warlock on hand to put a truth spell on me?" Julie met Spike's glare with one of her own. "I'm telling the truth. It actually causes me pain to lie."

"Again I ask, why should we believe you?" Spike raised a scarred eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"What colour are my eyes?" Julie stood up, and up really close to Spike.

"Blue-grey." Spike answered, leaning away in discomfort. He didn't know why, but being under Julie's gaze creeped him out.

"My eyes are green." Julie winced in pain, her hand grabbing the side of her head as she spoke the last word. Spike's eyes widened as he took in what was happening inches from him. When the pain subsided, Julie looked at him still in obvious discomfort. "So as you can see, I can't lie."

"Do you have a chip in your head?" Spike asked, looking her head over, trying to find a flaw in her blonde hair to indicate an incision.

"What? No." Julie frowned, and shook her head. She glanced at him in confusion as she took her seat.

"If you can't lie, why would we need to do a truth spell?" Giles asked, lacing his fingers together on the table.

"Just in case you still doubted me." Julie absentmindedly rubbed the side of her head. "I know it's all a little weird, but it's all true. Until Buffy dies, I can't die."

"Wait, if you're from Hell, how come you aren't evil?" Spike asked. Giles nodded in agreement with spike. Julie looked up at the peroxide vampire.

"Why aren't you evil? Why isn't Angel evil?" Julie pointed out. Spike frowned; they had souls, which obviously Julie also had, but there had to be more to it than that. "There is more to it, but the main reason is that I have soul."

"You have _got_ to stop doing that." Spike dropped his arms to his sides in shock. Giles frowned, but Buffy understood exactly what Spike was complaining about. It had happened in the graveyard.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it." Julie offered Spike an apologetic smile. "Buffy and I have different way of sensing demons. I can hear their thoughts, but I can't feel them in the same way Buffy can. I can tell what a person is be it human, vampire, or some other kind of demon, just by hearing their thoughts. I also have better stamina, and I'm stronger than Buffy is. It's not that I'm trying to out do her in anyway; I'm just stating the facts."

"How do you know you are better than I am?" Buffy asked defensively. She didn't like being told by someone younger than her that she was weak.

"I never said you were weak, and we're the same age." Julie looked directly at Buffy. "Besides, you are many things that I am not."

"Like what?" Buffy asked, acting like a child. Julie got the impression that Buffy was used to being told she was the best, and didn't like it when someone said otherwise.

"Everything you can do, I can't." Julie rolled her eyes. It was impossible to explain things to these people. They all seemed to dwell on the wrong things. Well all except the vampire; he was intriguing just as Angel had been. "Like I'm left handed in just about everything, meaning you are…"

"Right handed." Buffy nodded finally understanding what Julie was trying to say. Julie smiled in relief. _Thank the Gods_.

"We are polar opposites, but we complete each other." Julie added to drive the understanding home.

"So where have you been all these years?" Spike growled. From what he got, Julie and Buffy together are unstoppable because when Buffy was weak Julie is strong. That would've saved them a lot of trouble when dealing with the First. "We could've used you here."

"Yeah, Spike wouldn't have had to die." Buffy's face revealed her shock of how easy her life would've been in the time from her friends bringing her back to now. All those fights, all those deaths, could've been avoided.

"Actually, Spike still would've had to die." Giles spoke for Julie. She smiled; someone else was able to see the way she did. "Buffy still needed a champion with or without Julie here."

There was a long silence in which all four sat to digest what had been said. It was all so much to deal with. Buffy had been back for 5 years, and Julie hadn't shown her face once. It just seemed odd that suddenly now she had come to search out Buffy. Didn't Julie realize the world was almost destroyed several times?

"You all seem to think that this is the only Hellmouth. Well, except Giles. He knows of one other one." Julie spoke up suddenly. Giles nodded, knowing that he should've expected Julie to hear their thoughts. "The United States isn't the only place to have Hellmouths. There are 7 all together, and while Sunnydale has the most activity, the others get a fair amount as well."

"What are you trying to say, Julie?" Giles eyed the girl cautiously, not knowing what she was getting at.

"I've been protecting the six other Hellmouths across the globe for the last 5 years. That's why I haven't been here." Julie told them bluntly in a monotone voice. She didn't want them to get the wrong idea that she had a larger workload, because she knew she didn't. Dealing with the First seemed to pale all of the feats Julie had achieved. "And I did it alone until now. That's why I'm here actually. For help."

"Why? Are all 7 Hellmouths supposed to open at once?" Spike scoffed. _This bird if off her rocker_.

"I have the Eye of Eden." Julie searched her pockets on her cargo pants. She didn't see Spike's reaction to her words, but he took a step away from the table. Julie handed Giles a simple black ring box. "I can't figure out how to destroy it, though."

"What's the Eye of Eden?" Buffy looked at the other three in confusion. Giles seemed nervous about opening the box, and Spike was fidgeting. Julie was the only one who seemed calm, but that didn't surprise Buffy at all.

"It's a ring. It can be used for several different things." Julie explained when no one else volunteered the information. "It's the ring Lucifer was wearing when he was banished from Heaven. The same gem can be found on Satan's forehead when he was tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden."

"I feel like I'm missing the importance of all this." Buffy glanced at Spike as he sat down at the table, finally giving in to the need to be near the ring. If he could, in her opinion, he looked paler than usual.

"This ring will call the Devil himself to Earth, opening all 7 seals to Hell—as Spike joked—and unleash all those who were banished with him, along with all their minions." Giles looked dead serious. He daintily opened the box to reveal the ring nestled in black satin. "A garnet ring."

"Said to contain a drop of Lucifer's blood." Julie added, sounding slightly awed by the power the seemingly innocent ring had. "It needs to be destroyed before the person I took it from comes searching for it. It draws evil to it, so it is impossible to hide it in one place long."

"You seem to know a lot about this ring." Spike eyes Julie sceptically. Being a demon himself had taught him that anything to do with Hell was not a good thing. This tiny girl sitting next to him could only bring about bad things.

"Think what you want, vampire, but contrary to what you've been taught, you know nothing about this situation." Julie turned angrily to him. She snatched the Eye of Eden back from Giles, snapping the lid closed before she shoved it into her pocket. "Seeing as all I'm getting here is your criticism, I'll find a way to destroy it myself."

Julie got up abruptly from the table, grabbing her coat. With one last look at Buffy, she turned and stormed from the house. Giles and Buffy just sat there with shocked expressions on their faces, wondering what Spike had thought to set Julie off so fast. Nothing good could come from these strange events.

"What did you do to her?" Giles glared accusingly across the table at Spike. The blonde vampire shrugged, not knowing exactly what all Julie had heard. "Well? Go after her!"

"Are you joking? In case you didn't notice, Ripper, but that bird is crazy." Spike stared at Giles like he was the craziest one of them all. He looked to Buffy for support, but found himself facing the same accusing look. "Oh, bloody hell."

Spike continued to grumble as he slid his chair back from the table. Stuffing his arms into his duster violently, he followed Julie out of the house. He made a point of slamming the door behind him as he left with such force that it shocked everyone that it stayed on its hinges.

Pausing outside, Spike sniffed the air. In the few moments they had known each other, Spike had memorized Julie's scent just in case they needed to hunt her down later. Well, this was that later. Her scent led him back toward the graveyard, but instead of entering it, Spike followed it around the outside fence.

"No, none of them seemed to understand." Spike heard her, but he had no idea who she was talking to. "Look I tried…maybe you sho—…Yes I told them that, and no they just thought I was evil…well of course I tried to explain what I meant by the title…Look, Angel, maybe you should come down here to talk some sense into them…What do you mean you can't? That's the most ridic… I have to go, Spike's following me…Bye."

Spike stood frozen behind her. He didn't understand. If she couldn't sense demons the way Buffy could, then how did she know he was there? And, better yet, why was she talking to Angel? What did Angel know about all this?

"To answer your first question…" Julie spun around to face him, crossing her arms. "Your thoughts are louder than you think, especially since you are angry. Second, Angel asked me to call him when I was done speaking with Buffy, and seeing as I am, I figured why not now. Thirdly, Angel knows more about this than you obviously do, so why don't you rack off. Just tell the Slayer and her Watcher that you lost my trail."

Spike was taken aback by how feisty Julie was. This little Aussie obviously had some fire in her, and that seemed to draw Spike in. Then he remembered why he was out there in the first place, and tried to force his mind to go blank. Looking up at Julie, he knew it wasn't working.

"Don't worry. It's impossible to make your mind go completely blank. I've only met one person who could do that." Julie's anger faded from her face; at least Spike was softening towards her. He gave her a questioning look. "He was a devote monk in Tibet. I spent 6 months there when I first came to Earth trying to figure out what/who I am."

"Why do you have an Australian accent?" Spike blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. It seemed odd to him that if she was a part of Buffy that she would have anything but an American accent.

"To be honest, I have absolutely no idea." Julie shrugged helpless. "Your logic makes sense, but I am what I am, accent and all. I'm sorry about back there. I have mood swings, and sometimes they are catchy."

"Huh?" Spike frowned in confusion. Julie started to walk again, nodding for him to come along. Obviously not wanting to return to Giles without her, Spike didn't really have a choice in whether to follow or not.

"It's very easy for me to pick up on underlying tones in certain things that I hear—spoken or not." Julie started to explain. She could feel a question beginning to form in Spike's mind, but held up her hand to stop him. "I have no control over what happens after, although I am getting better at reining it in."

"It being…?" Spike urged her to continue when she paused in her explanation.

"My mood." Julie looked over at him walking beside her. The more she said, the more confused Spike seemed to become. "I'm getting better at registering an underlying tone on a subconscious level instead of consciously, because once I consciously acknowledge a certain tone, my mood switches to adjust and with it so does everyone else's. They start to feel what I feel too even if it confuses them that they are reacting that way to something. I can also impose my own mood on other people at random without meaning to…Is any of this making sense?"

"To be honest, not really…Well, I guess it kind of does…In a way." Spike rubbed the back of his neck. "But I didn't feel angry."

"It wasn't you who felt angry, and that person didn't feel angry, just annoyed. You see when my mood adjusts it also blows the tone way out of proportion, which sucks. So basically I just over-react but I don't have control over that. My mood swings only work on people, by the way." Julie admitted. "Or at least I think it does. See, I've never encountered a vampire who has a soul, other than Angel. You were already angry or at least a tad angry when I began to talk, so I don't know if you changed or not. Angel was the same way, only he never got angry."

"Yeah my grandsire is like that." Spike snorted. _That poof_.

"You're William the Bloody?" Julie pointed in horror at Spike, causing him to grin widely with pride. She had guessed that he was related to Angel in some way, and she knew that Angel had a grandchilde in Sunnydale, but she never guessed him to be Spike. That would explain, however, her pull towards him.

"In the flesh." Spike straightened his coat out. It had been a long time since a mortal had recognized him and feared him.

"I knew you were familiar. I could feel the power of Aurelius emanating from you just as it had from Angel. A very powerful family tie you have in that name." Julie looked in awe at Spike. He was every bit as confident as she had imagined, and minus the soul and him being good, he acted the way she thought he would, all proud and such. "By the way, I'm not mortal."

"What?" The pride wiped from his face, Spike was sent back into a confused state. He eyed her up and down, trying hard to figure her out. Nothing from the way she looked and dressed gave her away, and the inhuman feeling she gave off had already been explained…was there more?

"There will always be more." Julie responded cryptically. She smiled as she felt his confusion heighten. His mind called out for her to explain. "I'm the opposite of Buffy. She is mortal."

"Making you immortal." Spike breathed as realization dawned on him. What he had thought back at Giles' place had been wrong then. When Buffy was strong, so was Julie, but when Buffy was weak, Julie remained strong and unhurt. Unless… "When Buffy is very close to death, are you affected?"

"Every time." Julie nodded, a wide grin spreading her face. He finally got it, and understood fully. "Every time Buffy is unconscious I weaken, though I never follow into the darkness. Not that it matters if I'm weakened or not, I can't be killed, only wounded. Are you okay?"

Spike stood before her, his mind far off and a wall put up so she couldn't see into his thoughts. She stepped forward, reaching out to touch Spike's leather clad arm. He didn't respond to her touch, but just stood rooted to one spot. She pressed harder with her mind, trying to break down or at least weaken the walls he had put up.

Spike heard her call his name, but found her couldn't answer. He could feel the pull, the tempting feeling to pull her into his arms and never let go. It had been Julie who had taken him out of Hell, and he knew it. Somehow he just knew it had to be her. Her voice was so familiar, and now he knew why. She had given him a second chance. The question was did she know it?

A high-pitched ring broke them both from their thoughts. Spike felt panic rise in him as he was snapped from his thoughts. Glancing over at Julie as she pulled her cell phone out, he understood where the panic was coming from.

"I should get this." Julie looked at him apologetically before she flipped open the phone. "Hey! Yeah…You are? That's great…I'm staying at the motel, room 6. I'll leave the door unlocked…Of course you're invited in. Why wouldn't you be? Early morning? Okay…bye."

"Angel?" Spike asked although he had a hunch he already knew the answer. Julie smiled sheepishly, shoving her phone into her pocket. "Why is that poof coming down here?"

"I get the feeling that both Giles and Buffy will listen better to him than me." Julie crossed her arms as she eyed Spike. "Want to explain to me what happened before Angel called? Or will I have to pick your brain for the information?"

"You mean, you didn't hear any of my thoughts?" Spike's eyes widened in shock. He figured that if he had heard her, then she must've been able to hear him. How had that happened? What had stopped her?

"Your mind put up a wall that not even _I_ could break down." Julie seemed to be just as shocked as Spike. She sent out her mind to him, and his opened up like a book. A sigh of relief escaped her when she realized that she still had her powers. "So are you going to tell me what happened behind the wall?"

"I had a flashback." Spike admitted, not seeing a point in lying to a girl who could see his thoughts. "Well, I guess you could call it that…Have we met before?"

"Well, other than when I was a part of Buffy and you were evil or chipped, then no, not to my knowledge." Julie shook her head after a moment's thought. "I think I would remember you if we had."

"In Hell?" Spike pressed. He desperately wanted to believe that Julie had been the one to give him a second chance. It would make sense since she was a part of the Slayer, the same Slayer who had become a very close companion over the years. "Did you ever release any souls?"

"I've released thousands since I came to the world. It's part of my job…to bring back those who left this Earth too soon." Julie explained. She desperately wanted to read Spike's mind, but felt he should be given the chance to explain what he had remembered. His mind had put up a barrier for a reason, and she didn't want to intrude.

"Is it possible that you brought me back?" Spike was quick to cover up his look of hope, but Julie was quicker to see it. She understood now exactly what Spike was getting at.

"It's very possible." Julie nodded, thinking back on all the countless times she had felt a soul had gone too soon, and she had to venture into Hell to retrieve it. Of course, they always had to return in something they died with. "What was your vessel?"

"A mystical amulet that made me Buffy's Champion." Spike answered without having to think about it. He and Julie were on the same level for once.

"You're lucky it wasn't destroyed with the rest of the school. Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to return." Julie nodded once again for Spike to follow. "A soul I bring back can't return fully unless it has a vessel to be returned through. Your's was the necklace, but without that necklace you would've wandered in Limbo for eternity."

"You make it sound lovely." Spike chuckled at the image that came to mind. Julie caught a glimpse of the image in Spike's head, and had a laugh along with him.

"It's not quite like that." Julie assured Spike, sending him an image of what Limbo was really like. A wheat field in dull sepia that stretched on forever. Spike gave her a horrified look. "I'm sorry, but that is what it looks like."

"That's so Wizard of Oz." Spike walked in silence beside Julie, dwelling on the image she had given him.

"You should be happy I attempted it in any case." Julie told him. She watched as the image fled from his mind to be replaced by questions. "I usually wouldn't even think to save the soul of a vampire, but then again I didn't know vampires could have souls. In any case, I was contemplating on saving you or not when I got the request to do it."

"Request? What are you yammering on about?" Spike's forehead wrinkled into a frown. Julie's story was becoming more tangled by the second. Why would anyone request for him to be alive? And who would do that?

"It seems to me, William the Bloody has more fans than he thought he did." Julie stopped him, and set him with a knowing look. She raised an eyebrow, and put one hand on her hip. "Who else would I be able to hear other than the people in direct contact with me? Who am I connected to at all times?"

"Buffy." Spike felt all the un-needed air leave his lungs. Buffy. Buffy had requested unknowingly that Julie save his soul. She probably didn't know it was possible, but she had asked for him back all the same.

"Clearly you are loved, and I can see why." Julie smiled when Spike looked taken aback. If someone had told him he would begin a friendship with this Anti-Slayer before he had left Giles' house, he would've beaten him or her into the ground. "But you do seem oblivious to the way those around you feel."

"Well we can't all read minds or have some crazy connection with certain people." Spike spat. All this was so insane, and yet somehow inside all the insanity, logic could be found. "This is bloody well fucked up."

"You can say that again." Julie grumbled. She grabbed his arm, and forced him to look her in the eye. "Spike, you have to believe me when I tell you that she—well I, I suppose—love you. Buffy is apart of me and I her, we can feel the deep feelings we each hold for those around us. So you can trust me when I say that she loves you."

Spike felt that his whole world had been shifted upside down. Once upon a time he had thought she could love him the same way he loved her, but he buggered it up when he tried to rape her. Buffy had treated him with love and respect when he had come back from Africa with his soul. Dying as her champion had done what he thought fulfilled his life. Apparently not, and Buffy had meant it when she told him she loved him. For 3 years neither of them had mentioned it as though it never happened. They had fallen into a comfortable friendship, and neither had tried to move it beyond that.

"You still love her, right?" Julie had respectfully stayed out of Spike's head as he sorted out everything. She needed to know, though, that he still loved Buffy, needed to hear those words come from his mouth.

"Of course I do. You'd have to be a poof or a Nancy boy to stop." Spike looked up to see what Julie thought of all this, and was relieved to see a smile on her face. "You know, you're a lot of work to figure out."

"Just like someone else you know." Julie chuckled before glancing at her watch. "Oh, I should get going. I have to sun proof the motel room before Angel gets here."

"What about the rest of…well everything?" Spike suddenly became nervous. He didn't want to have to go back to an angry Giles and an even angrier Slayer.

"Tell them I'll meet them at Giles' house with Angel tomorrow after sunset." Julie was about to turn and walk off. "You had better be there too."

"Oh, I will be. Don't worry your pretty little head about that, pet." Spike flashed her a charming smile before heading off, his duster billowing out behind him.

_Gods help us all_. Julie sent a silent prayer out. She took off at a brisk jog toward the motel where she was staying.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Julie sat back, sighing as she let Angel take over the explaining for her. Spike stood in the kitchen doorway behind Buffy and Giles, who sat facing Angel and Julie. Julie noticed that Spike, though he paid attention to the conversation, also kept an eye on the Slayer as though he was protecting her. It definitely made Julie happy to see this. It was close to midnight, and still there were so many holes in Julie's story, but some of them not even she could fill.

"I say we concentrate on destroying the Eye of Eden, and talk about Julie later. She's not going anywhere until Buffy does." Angel was just as fed up with them as Julie was. Angel turned to Giles. "Did you do any research today?"

"Yes, but I don't think any of us are going to like what I came up with." Giles admitted as he pulled his glasses from his face, and began to polish them. Buffy cleared her throat, urging him to continue. "It can only be destroyed in Hell by someone who has already been there."

"That's easy." Buffy snorted. All eyes went to Julie, who was shaking her head. "Why not? Clearly you are the best candidate for the job. From what I understand you go there to retrieve souls all the time."

"Let Giles tell you the rest." Julie glanced at the Watcher. He knew she could see into his thoughts, but the knowledge of it made it no less uncomfortable. "Don't worry. I didn't have to see into your mind to know the next part."

"The person who destroys it has to do so in Hell, and also has to be pure evil." Giles continued. Buffy growled in frustration; it never could be easy.

"Where are we going to find a person who is pure evil?" Buffy whined. Spike gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she rested her head on her two fists.

"I know of someone, and they're sitting in this room." Julie spoke up never taking her eyes off Angel. His head shot up when he realized whom she was referring to.

"Julie, you already know I can't do that." Angel turned fully to look at just the Anti-Slayer, ignoring everyone else. He looked so pained by the thought of it that Julie almost took back what she had suggested.

"Angel…" Julie's voice was low and soft as she took both of Angel's hands in her own. He looked at her, pleading with her. "There's no one else. You _have_ to believe me when I say that. I don't want it to be true, but to my knowledge there is no one else."

"There has to be someone else." Buffy finally spoke up in the silence that followed what Julie said. Julie tore her eyes away from Angel to look at Buffy.

"All of those you just listed off in your head are no longer around. Actually I think they're all dead except one, and he's been in hiding for years and it would take too long to search him out." Julie spoke after she had listened to Buffy's mind rattle off 20 demons who would've been perfect for the job. "I killed the rest myself."

"No why would you do that?" Buffy looked horror-stricken.

"I didn't realize that I would need them later on for this job." Julie shot back. "I was doing my job, and believe me I wouldn't be here if it had been that easy."

"You all seem to be missing a huge point." Spike spoke for the first time since he had arrived.

"No Spike, we're not missing it, we just haven't gotten to it yet." Julie didn't take her eyes off Buffy, who was glaring at her. "It's a good point though. How are we going to get this evil being to destroy the ring that will raise Hell to Earth?"

"That does pose another problem." Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. Apocalypses were never easy.

"You got that right." Julie groused, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. "Are you sure that's the only way to destroy this thing? Nothing else came up?"

"Not at the moment. Although I did just start researching today." Giles prayed to every God and Goddess that something else would come up.

"I've got the team at Wolfram and Hart working on this too." Angel informed them. Julie smiled appreciatively at him.

"Hey Giles, do you have any holy water on hand?" Julie asked as she fished around in her pockets. Both Spike and Angel stiffened slightly. Julie pulled out the ring box, not even realizing the reaction her words had gotten.

Giles came back holding a corked bottle. Julie opened the bottle, and dropped the ring in. Sealing it once again, she slipping it gently into her pocket. Everyone observed what she did with curiosity, watching her in confusion.

"Does the pull feel any different?" Julie directed her question at the two vampires. She knew that because they were demons, they were drawn to the ring whether they liked it or not.

"Definitely." Angel relaxed a little more next to Julie, as he now no longer felt his demon pulling on the leash it had been kept on for 8 years.

"Should we tell the rest of the gang about all this? Maybe send out a message for them to get into research mode?" Buffy suggested. She felt weird having this meeting without at least Willow and Xander there with her.

"Yeah, and while you guys are doing that, I'm going to leave town for a couple of days." Julie broke the news to the small group quickly. They all stared at her like she was crazy. "Just because the Eye of Eden is in holy water doesn't mean it won't draw evil to it. Sure, it lessened the attraction, but I can't risk it staying in Sunnydale long enough for the demon I stole it from to find it."

She tried to tune out most of their questions that their minds were throwing at her. Julie looked at Angel with hope. After letting him rest a bit after his long drive from LA, he and Julie had talked it over, and thought it best to keep the Eye of Eden moving.

"Angel and I are going to Europe." Julie announced, shaking her head to rid it of the questions. Julie looked at Buffy to see how she would react to all this, but Buffy didn't. Julie frowned at the Slayer, and then opened her mind, reading it to find out why.

Spike had told her! Buffy's mind was racing over that thought, and it surprised Julie. She didn't think Spike would be so forthcoming with that three-word phrase, especially this soon. The fact that he had said it, though, took up most of Buffy's mind, breaking her concentration easily on important things. Of course, Julie knew exactly why this excited Buffy, and not herself.

Though Julie didn't remember much of anything from before Buffy's second death, she did know for sure that she loves Angel in the non-plutonic way. Buffy didn't react the same towards Angel as she used to, it's was now more that she loved him as a friend. Julie felt more of that kind of love for Spike, and more of a burning passion towards Angel. It was complicated to say the least, but finally Buffy realized that.

"Where will you go in Europe?" Giles asked, cutting through Julie's thoughts. Angel shrugged, and both men turned to look expectantly at her.

"Romania." Julie looked between Angel and Giles, and answered simply. She knew that she had come off too confident, and that everyone in the room would question her, but she couldn't bring herself to withhold anything from Angel. Already she could hear all the questions they were bombarding her with, but not voicing. "I need to speak with Angel alone."

Buffy and Spike looked about to protest, and Julie could see the arguments forming, but Giles held up a hand. He nodded to Julie, who took Angel's hand and led him from the room.

"Why Romania?" Angel asked in a hushed voice as they made their way upstairs. Julie had no idea what rooms were up there, but she had to put a floor between them and the others.

"I have an errand to run in Romania; a woman to see." Julie told Angel going into what appeared to be a guest bedroom. She turned to Angel after closing the door. "But I won't do it without your permission."

"My permission? Julie, you're not making any sense." Angel shook his head, trying to make sense of the way she was acting. "What sort of errand are you running that involves needing my permission?"

"I was traveling through Romania about a year ago on my way to the Hellmouth in Greece." Julie began her story as she sat down on the bed. Angel leaned on the dresser across from her. "Through some events I'm not proud of, I had managed to get a hold of a Watcher's journal. This journal belonged to the Watcher of the Slayer Spike killed in the Boxer Rebellion."

"How did you manage that?" Angel stared in amazement at Julie. He couldn't believe that of all those journals, she had managed to get her hands on that particular one.

"I know, it's a shock, but again I'm not proud of how I got it." Julie looked down at her hands, ashamed. "Anyway, that journal led me to do some research on William the Bloody, which led me to you. I had already known about you both, but as I said in LA I don't remember a lot from when Buffy and I were one soul. And after we came back, I've only caught glimpses and random thoughts of what Buffy was doing and thinking."

"Well, you remember one thing…" Angel trailed off, not able to look at Julie. In the weeks Julie had stayed at Wolfram & Hart, Angel had come to once again love Buffy, but not actually Buffy. He loved the Julie half of that soul, and, after a lot of explaining, had come to understand that Buffy's half loved Spike.

"Now about Romania, curiosity got the better of me, and I went to the area where that gypsy put the curse on you." Julie paused to give Angel time to absorb the words. "I found a descendant."

"What?" Angel was now completely stunned. Hadn't Spike and Drusilla killed the entire clan, and hadn't Darla broken the leader's neck?

"As it turns out, that leader had a kid that none of your family stumbled upon." Julie was eager to spill out the whole story, but knew that she had to take her time for Angel's sake. "The mother of this gypsy child told your story, and this descendant knows it well."

"What are you getting at Julie?" Angel seemed cautious, and he was trying hard to read her. His tone had a sort of warning tinge in it.

"Never mind, it's stupid." Julie realized that Angel would never go for it. It didn't help that it was very risky for him to follow through with this plan. What had she been thinking? She felt Angel cup her chin to look at him once he had squatted in front of her.

"What is it?" Angel asked softly. He knew he had to be careful about he thought/said around Julie, but he hated to see her so down.

"I hadn't thought it through. Romania was a stupid idea." Julie smiled at him, trying to assure him that she was fine. She knew, however, that Angel could her just as easily as she could anyone else. "I had figured out a way to lift your curse, but also make it that you had a soul still. But now that I think about it, it isn't a smart plan. Actually it's quite risky."

"Come again?" Angel looked deep into her eyes, and she knew he was talking about the first part of her news. How could he be uncursed but still keep his soul?

"It's complicated, but basically I proved to the descendant that you had repented for your sins." Julie spoke quietly, hoping that Angel wouldn't hear. She knew that that, however, was never a problem for Angel. She felt anger rise in him only to be beaten back. "I'm sorry. I know it's not my place to do anything remotely close to that, but I honestly did not think at the time that it would work. Well, actually I didn't think period."

"Julie…" Angel sighed deeply. He moved to sit on the bed next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "This is a lot to take in all at once, you know. There are many things to consider, and right now I'm at the point where I don't really know how to respond."

"Which is completely understandable." Julie nodded, looking up at him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling him kiss the top of her head. "Take as much time as you need. I'll respectfully stay out of your head."

"Thank you." Angel mumbled, pressing another kiss into her hair. Julie snuggled into his hold, trying hard to suppress a yawn. "Tired?"

"Just a smidge." Julie nodded. Angel pulled her into his lap, and then stood with one arm under her knees and the other around her back. "Probably from that damn motel bed."

"Come one. I'll take you to the mansion." Angel told her, laughing softly as she cursed the motel bed. He carried her down the stairs, setting her on her feet at the bottom.

"So?" Giles stepped out of the kitchen when he heard Angel and Julie come downstairs.

"Romania in two days." Angel told Giles to Julie's surprise. "Where are Buffy and Spike?"

"They went out patrolling. They weren't sure how long you two were going to be." Giles shrugged. He gestured for them to follow back into the kitchen.

"If it's alright with you, Rupert, I would rather get Julie home before she falls asleep on her feet." Angel told Giles, remaining by the front door. "She didn't get a lot of sleep last night, because she had to sun proof the motel room."

"Ah, well then, okay." Giles nodded in agreement. Even though she was immortal, Julie still needed her beauty sleep. "Good night you two."

"Good night Rupert." Angel offered the man a short smile. Julie just waved lazily seeing as she was half asleep.

It was a long walk to the mansion, and Angel had to carry a sleeping Julie the last mile. This only made her fall into a deeper sleep, being cradled in the arms of the man she loved. Leaving her on a couch downstairs, he went in search of a room that was not filled with dust and was adequate for a human to sleep in.

"Angel?" Julie sat up on the couch, not fully comprehending where she was. She looked around, panic setting in when she didn't see him. _What are you doing panicking? You are the Anti-Slayer; you've dealt with worse._

Getting up off the couch and inspecting the room further led Julie to think she was in the mansion Angel owned. _So where is Angel?_ Julie reached out with her mind, not enough to penetrate his, but just enough to feel out where he was.

"Angel?" Julie called out as she made her way up the stairs. _This place is huge_. Behind every door she found either a bedroom or a bathroom. "Angel?"

"Hey. I was just coming to get you." Angel appeared out of a room further down the hall. Julie smiled, relief washing over her. "I found a liveable room."

"Just one?" Julie chuckled softly as she let herself be led down the hall. She winked up at Angel to let him know she was joking. She didn't realize how dependable she had become on reading minds until then. If she had known what he was thinking, then she wouldn't have had to reassure him of anything.

"You're tired, remember?" Angel opened the door for her. Julie couldn't deny that he was right, and the bed looked so inviting. It was covered with a crimson velvet blanket and black satin sheets. "I found you some clothes to wear to bed. We're lucky that this bed had a dust sheet over it, otherwise we'd have to trek into town back to the motel."

"Very lucky." Julie mumbled, wandering over to the bed. A pair of navy blue boxers and a white men's tank top were laid out for her. When she turned around, Angel was gone, probably to give her privacy.

Quickly changing, Julie found that the tank top was a couple sizes too big, obviously meant for a certain vampire with wide shoulders. Pulling back the covers, she sent out a thought to Angel that he could come back. She had felt him waiting outside, again without intruding on his thoughts.

"All set?" Angel asked upon re-entering the room. Julie nodded over her shoulder as she crawled between the silky sheets. It felt good to be sleeping in an actual bed that was made with comfort in mind. "I hope you don't mind sharing, but this is the only non-dust-filled room."

"Angel, why would I mind?" Julie glanced over at him. He sat on the edge of the bed, and began to unlace his boots. She slid across the king-sized bed, kneeling behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing the back of his neck. "I think I can behave myself."

Giving him one last peck, she moved back across the bed to her own side. Angel raised an eyebrow at Julie, but she had rolled over and was facing the other way. He wanted to reach out for her, but thought better of it, figuring she would be asleep by the time he was done undressing.

He blew out the candle that he had lit for her, and slipped beneath the covers wearing his boxers. He stared at Julie's back for a few minutes, knowing she wasn't asleep just by listening to her breathing. With a sigh, he rolled over so their backs faced each other.

"Angel?" Julie asked the darkness about 30 minutes later. Without being able to read his mind, she wasn't sure if he was awake or not.

"Yeah?" Angel responded after a moment. He was surprised that she was still awake due to the fact that she was practically sleepwalking on the way here.

"I really am sorry. You know. About the whole Romania thing." Julie said over her shoulder. She felt Angel roll over, and close the space between them.

"Stop apologizing. We're going to Romania." Angel wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He kissed her shoulder, and whispered soothingly in her ear. "Now go to sleep."

"Good night, Angel." Julie whispered back, snuggling into Angel's body more so they were spooning. With a sigh, sleep finally came.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I love a man who can cook me breakfast." Dawn smiled cheerily when she was greeted in the kitchen by Spike holding a spatula and a silly grin on his face.

"Morning Niblet." Spike winked at her over his shoulder as he flipped the pancakes that were in the frying pan. He handed Dawn a plate with some already on it that he had been keeping warm in the oven. "Chocolate chip."

"Mmm. My favourite." Dawn smacked her lips as she stared at the pancake pile on her plate. She was about to ask for cutlery, but Spike was way ahead of her. "So did you and Buffy finally admit your feelings for each other to each other?"

"What makes you ask that?" Spike raised an eyebrow in question. Right about now he wished that he had Julie's telepathic powers.

"Well, from the sounds I heard last night and now you're here making us breakfast… I just figured something was up." Dawn said casually, but her words would've made Spike blush if he could. "And all it took was Buffy's other half, the half that loves Angel, to come blazing into town to announce her existence."

"When you put it that way, you make it sound pathetic and weird." Buffy appeared in the kitchen doorway dressed in one of Spike's button down shirts and a pair of boxer shorts. Her hair was a mess of slight tangles due to sleep and other activities. She raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "Breakfast?"

"That's 'cause it _is_ weird." Dawn laughed. Spike and Buffy had told the group last night all about Julie and who/what she was. They all seemed to be pretty understanding about it all considering. Except for Dawn, they all seemed to be unfazed by this. Dawn was having a harder time dealing with the fact that her sister was split in two. Needless to say, it was all still a shock.

"You don't need to tell me twice, Dawn." Buffy sat down at the island beside her sister after giving Spike a good morning peck. "At least your soul isn't split in two."

"Hey! At least you're not some crazy mystical key." Dawn pointed out. Sure, she wasn't exactly an active key anymore, but Buffy got what she was saying.

"How could I forget?" Buffy rolled her eyes, but smiled brightly when Spike handed her her own plate piled high with pancakes. "Anyway, Dawn, you should be off to school soon, and go to the Magic Box right after. We'll all be there doing research. Hopefully you'll get to meet Julie there as well."

"Okay." Dawn grudgingly finished off her pancakes and went to go get ready for school.

"You know…" Buffy began after a long silence in which she silently ate her pancakes. She got up, and came around the island to stand before Spike. "A girl could get used to this. I mean, you are the best, Spike. Not just because you made us breakfast."

"I know, luv. No need to say it." Spike turned off the stove, and turned to give Buffy what he considered a proper good morning kiss. He poured all his love for her into the kiss, and quickly it rose in passion.

"Really used to this." Buffy smiled when they were forced to end the kissing for lack of air. She leaned her forehead on Spike's, and groaned. "I don't want to go to work."

"Luv, you have to." Spike couldn't help but smile. He would never get used to the thought that she wanted to spend all day with him, but that didn't mean he didn't like hearing it.

"I know." Buffy sighed. Spike kissed her forehead, and she moved toward the entrance of the kitchen. She paused in the doorway, looking back at Spike. "We're going to work, aren't we?"

"Definitely, pet." Spike nodded with an assuring look as he put the frying pan in the sink. "Now go get ready before you're late."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Angel?" Buffy called out entering the mansion. She figured that Julie and him wouldn't stay in the motel room with him in town, but would move here. "Julie?"

Buffy went upstairs, and started to look through all the rooms. She had a pretty good idea which room Angel would've picked for them, but she wanted to make sure. It had been a long time since she had been in the mansion. She used to come and stare at it right after Angel left, but she could never bring herself to go enter it.

She opened the last door on the left, and was faced with an image the only confused her. Angel and Julie were curled up together in the middle of the bed. That wasn't the confusing part. What baffled her was that she didn't feel anything toward seeing Angel with another woman. Well, not actually another woman. _Maybe I've finally accepted this whole mess. Maybe what Spike had said was actually true._

Julie opened her eyes, and looked at Buffy with a smile. She had heard all of Buffy's thoughts. Buffy nodded knowingly. Julie smiled her thanks before Buffy turned to leave. There may be hope for them after all.

"Did she look upset?" Angel moaned in his half-sleep state. It didn't surprise Julie all that much; being a vampire, obviously he could sense that Buffy was in the room. He rolled over on to his back, stretching slightly. With one arm, he pulled Julie to him.

"No." Julie rolled over to put her head on Angel's cold chest over his un-beating heart. "She's finally accepted that I am a part of her. Actually, to tell you the truth, I thought it would take a lot longer than two days."

"What changed her mind?" Angel asked as he began to draw random patterns on Julie's shoulder and arm.

"She didn't feel anything when she saw you with someone else." Julie tilted her head to look at Angel's face. She concentrated on his feelings when his face didn't give anything away. She couldn't feel anything that had changed over the last few minutes. "She's accepted that I am the half that loves you, and just now was her proof."

"That's good." Angel looked down at her with a genuine smile. She returned it, and then cuddled up to him more. "Still tired?"

"I feel like I could sleep for a century." Julie sighed, which turned into a yawn. "Doesn't help that this bed is so comfortable, and I love who I'm sharing it with."

"I love you too." Angel chuckled softly. Though it did feel weird to be saying it at all, Angel really felt that this was the part of Buffy he fell in love with the most. "Sleep."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Hey guys! I come bearing gifts!" Xander greeted as he and Anya entered the Magic Box with a box of doughnuts and trays of coffee. Everyone looked grateful at the arrival of caffeine. Willow, Tara, and Giles had been there since noon doing research. They needed a break. "No Julie?"

"Out back sparring with Buffy." Tara nodded to the door at the back. Xander gave the Wiccan a shocked look. "They've been at it since 4 o'clock."

"Yeah, we watched for maybe the first hour, but they're both pretty even, and it got tiring just watching them." Willow looked at her watch, surprised that there hadn't been a winner declared yet. "They've been at it for 3 hours! Giles, don't you think we should stop them?"

"I suppose you're right." Giles sighed as he got up, closing the thick text he had been reading. He entered the training room to find the two girls still engaged. Spike and Angel stood leaning against one wall. Giles approached the vampires. "How's it going?"

"Well, Julie was right about being slightly stronger and having more stamina." Spike nodded to the fighting women. Buffy looked slightly out of breath while Julie still looked fresh.

"Other than that, it's been even." Angel added. "Every shot Buffy gets in, Julie gets in one as well. They're amazing to watch."

"It's been 3 hours. I think it's time to stop." Giles glanced at his watch to confirm what Willow had told him. Spike and Angel nodded in agreement. "Girls!"

"One minute, Giles." Buffy threw a right jab, which Julie caught in her hand before throwing a right hook.

"It's impossible to stop them." Spike chuckled at the annoyed look on Giles' face. Giles raised an eyebrow at him. Spike gave in, and smacked Angel's shoulder. "Let's go stop them."

Angel nodded, and both vampires walked over to the sparring Slayers. Unfortunately, neither girl noticed nor felt their approach. Buffy tried to hit Julie with a roundhouse kick, but Julie danced out of the way, throwing Buffy off balance. Julie took advantage of that, and dropped to the ground, attempting to knock Buffy's legs out from under her. Buffy, however, regained her balance quickly, and jumped, landing on Julie's ankle.

"Slayer." Spike put both hands on Buffy's shoulders. Buffy spun on her heel, and punched Spike square in the jaw. "Bloody Hell!"

"Spike! Oh my God! I'm so sorry." Buffy covered her mouth in shock as Spike held his jaw in pain. She reached out to touch his face, feeling terrible when he winced. "Are you okay?"

"He'll be fine." Angel laughed as he helped Julie to her feet. She smiled at him gratefully as she took his offered hand.

"It'll take more than that to get rid of me." Spike looked down at Buffy, dropping his hand at her bidding so she could have a better look at it. "Seriously, luv, I'll be fine."

"I know. It's just been a long time since I've hit you." Buffy lightly kissed his jaw line. Giles handed her a bottle of water. "How long have we been out here?"

"Three hours." Julie glanced up at the wall clock. Angel was looking her over, making sure nothing was broken. She stilled his worrying hands. "I'm fine."

"If you say so." Angel took his hands away from her. Julie smiled, and tried to take a step. She stumbled as her ankle gave out, but Angel's arms were around her instantly to keep her from falling.

"Well, that can't be good." Julie looked down at her feet. Already she could see her left ankle starting to swell from where Buffy had landed on it. "Maybe I'm not so fine after all."

"We're going to need ice." Angel told Giles as he scooped Julie up, carrying her into the storefront. Buffy followed with concern written on her face. She hadn't meant to land on Julie's ankle. Angel propped her leg up on a chair near the table.

"What happened?" Willow asked when Angel took the ice from Giles. Carefully he wrapped the bag around Julie's swollen ankle after taking off her shoe and sock. "Is everything okay?"

"Nothing a few hours won't fix." Julie waved away Willow's concern. She smiled up at Xander, offering him her hand. "I'm Julie, it's nice to meet you."

"From what I hear, we've known each other for years." Xander shook her hand, offering her a goofy smile. Julie laughed, nodding.

"You must be Anya, the ex-vengeance demon." Julie turned her attention to the blonde standing at Xander's side. Anya didn't seem to like her very much, even though she did shake Julie's hand. "Okay, will someone hand me a book so I don't feel useless?"

"Start with this one." Willow handed her an old, leather bound book that had a pretty hefty weight to it. "I've already looked through it, but since you probably have a better idea about what you're looking for, you might want to look through it again."

"Sounds good." Julie smiled as she read the witch's mind. The thoughts in her mind matched up almost perfectly with the words she spoke. Julie knew she could trust her.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"I think we can conclude that there is nothing in any of these books." Dawn whined, stifling a yawn. Her eyes were starting to hurt, and she felt that if she looked at another musty book they would shrivel and fall out of their sockets. "It's midnight. Can we puh-lease call it a night?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Buffy snapped the book she had been perusing closed. They hadn't come across anything new yet, and they had been at it for hours. "We all have to get up and go to work tomorrow, and I doubt any of us will be able to get up on time if we keep going."

"Angel and I should be getting some sleep before our flight leaves tomorrow night." Julie walked back to the table to set her book down. At about nine o'clock her ankle had healed, and since then she had taken to pacing. She hated sitting for long periods of time. She looked expectantly at Angel when his phone started to ring. "Who is it?"

"Wesley?" Angel looked at the tiny screen before flipping it open. "Did something happen?…Oh, you found something…Really?…but that means…that can't be right…Are you sure?…Double checked?…Okay, I'll tell them…Thank you."

Angel stared at his phone for a moment before putting it back in his coat pocket. He looked up at Julie with wide eyes, making Julie really wish she hadn't promised to stay out of his mind. She wanted so badly to know what was going on up there.

"Your offer about Romania still good?" Angel asked without acknowledging the other inquiring looks he was getting.

"You know it is." Julie frowned as she nodded. She sat down beside Angel, turning to face just him. "Angel, what's this all about? What did Wesley have to say? Did he find something new?"

"See for yourself." Angel gave Julie permission to enter his mind. Cautiously Julie reached out, somehow shocked when she didn't meet any resistance. Then she heard Wesley's voice in Angel's mind clearly.

_"I've found an obscure book that contains a passage about the destruction of the Eye of Eden. Though it still says that one of pure evil has to destroy it, it also talks about how one of pure innocence can destroy it. That person still has to be familiar with Hell. To be honest, Angel, I think the pure innocent person is you._"

"Oh my Gods." Julie put a hand to her mouth, pulling out of Angel's mind quickly. She didn't want to be in there longer than he was comfortable with her being there. "He's right, you know."

"Oh yeah? How do you figure?" Angel raised a sceptical eyebrow. He kept on thinking over all those years he tortured and killed innocent people for the fun of it. It didn't matter that he had a soul now; nothing could erase those dark years.

"On the contrary, those years have been erased." Julie couldn't help but say. Angel's thoughts were _so_ loud that it was near impossible not to listen. Julie's eyes zeroed in on Angel, both of them still ignoring the others. "You died, Angel. We—Buffy and I—killed you, sending you to Hell where you repented for your past crimes. All of those years you spent killing have been erased. And to my knowledge you haven't sinned since, making you pure, making you perfect for the job."

"Sorry to interrupt, but what are you two talking about?" Giles took advantage of the pause that followed what Julie had said. Angel and Julie snapped back to reality, remembering where they were and who they were with.

"Wesley found a passage about the Eye of Eden." Angel informed them. All of the Scoobies seemed to perk up at this bit of news, even Dawn, who was practically asleep in her chair, using a demonlogy book as a pillow. "Someone who is purely innocent can also destroy the ring."

"Yeah so? Where are we going to find someone who has never sinned, and who has been to Hell?" Anya asked pointedly. Typical Anya. "I'm sorry, but those two just don't seem to work together."

"But they do." Julie smiled excitedly, practically bouncing in the chair next to Angel. "Angel qualifies, hands down. He has been to Hell, and due to the whole dying thing, he is free from sin."

"How do you know what counts and what doesn't count for sin?" Dawn asked. She still didn't like Julie all that much. Not that Julie could blame her. Dawn was having the hardest time of all of them accepting that Julie was a part of her sister.

"I'm pure sin, though it may not seem like it. Buffy's half of the soul is the half that went to Heaven, therefore the sinless half. I, however, am the half that went to Hell." Julie explained, though to her and a couple others this explanation seemed un-needed. "Believe me when I say, I know what sin is."

"So Angel hasn't sinned in the past eight or nine years?" Willow sounded doubtful. _He lies to people every day._

"Those are lies to protect those people, which in the long run is good." Julie told Willow. "He hasn't sinned big enough to put his soul from pure to damned. Of course there are grey areas, but those are complicated to even begin to explain. What I'm trying to say is that I would've felt it if his soul was damned."

"You feel that too?" Spike couldn't believe it. _What didn't she feel/know?_

"It's part of my job, Spike. I bring souls from Hell. Not just the souls who have gone too soon, but also the souls who don't belong there." Julie sighed. She felt that no one understood her, which she could accept, but did they have to be so obvious about it? "Just by looking someone in the eyes I can tell what state their soul is in."

"This all seems too easy." Buffy seemed shocked. She was still thinking over Wesley's news. "I mean, Angel is purely innocent, and he can destroy the Eye because he has been to Hell. Does anyone else feel that there has to be a catch?"

"Buffy, it's not as simple as it sounds." Julie told them solemnly. Everyone gazed at her curiously; she seemed sad somehow, which didn't really fit with everything else. "We're taking a huge chance by going with this passage from an obscure text. Second, we don't know what the text's meaning of purely innocent is. For all we know, it could mean a child, or someone who has never killed in his life, demon or not. And if that is the case, then Angel has to have his demon stripped from his soul in order to be fully confident that he can do this task as being purely good. That's if we are going to trust this text."

"All very good points." Giles nodded. None of them had been thinking along those lines, they were all too glad to hear that they didn't have to research anymore. "If we were to trust this passage, how would we strip Angel's demon from his soul?"

"Angel's curse would have to be lifted, and in it's place a new 'curse' would be put on him." Julie told them, leaning back in her chair with a grave look on her face. She looked at Angel. "He'll have to make a choice."

"What do you mean?" Angel asked quietly, forcing Julie to look at him with agony in her eyes.

"I told you I didn't think Romania through, but I really don't think we should go." Julie told him, a tear slipping from her eye. Angel cupped her cheek, brushing the tear away with his thumb gently. "You can either stay the way you are, or be cursed with an immortal human life."

"What does _that_ mean?" Dawn shrieked. She couldn't believe how cryptic Julie was being at a time like this. Maybe her and Buffy were related, both full of mixed messages.

"It means he would be immortal, but not be a vampire anymore. He would be a normal human being." Julie glanced quickly at Dawn before looking back at Angel. She could feel confusion rise in him. She turned her head, and lightly kissed his cool palm. "You don't have to do it. We'll figure something out, but you don't have to become human."

"There's no one else!" Spike burst out. Angel and Julie turned to regard him, Julie with a glare.

"We'll find someone else." Julie insisted through clenched teeth. "It's not like we have a deadline, Spike. I'm sure that if we search hard enough and for long enough we'll find someone."

"In the meantime you're just going to have to keep the Eye moving." Spike pointed out. "This plan seems weak and flawed."

"It's all we have!" Julie yelled, standing up. She glared at the blonde vampire with glowing red eyes full of hate. Spike stared at her with a mixture of fear and confusion. Julie stood in one spot, breathing deeply to try and calm herself. Her eyes cooled to a smouldering amber colour. "When you come up with something better, tell me. I'm open for suggestions. Until then, keep your tongue behind your teeth."

Julie returned to normal, flopping down in her chair. Spike couldn't help, but continue to stare openly at her. She wasn't a demon; he would've felt that, but if she wasn't a demon, what was she? Julie had just acted like a demon, and though she gave off a slightly un-human feeling, she didn't have a demonic spirit. What was with the glowing eyes?

Spike blinked, focusing again on Julie. She was asleep now with her head resting on Angel's shoulder. His grandsire was stroking her hair soothingly, trying to keep her calm. How could this tiny peaceful girl be the same woman who just had the fires of Hell burning in her eyes?

"Can you stop yelling at me now?" Julie opened a lazy eye to look up at Spike. He offered her an apologetic smile, not realizing how loud his thoughts were. He relaxed when she simply closed her eye again.

"Okay…seeing as everyone is tired, I think we should call it a night." Xander looked at Julie, nervous that she might protest. Giles nodded, though, and started packing up the books that had pulled out to look through.

"Good night." Angel told them once the table had been cleared. He had Julie cradled in his arms, her head nestled against his neck. The others waved to the couple as Angel exited the store.

"You can wake up now." Angel whispered into Julie's ear once they were outside. Julie groaned in her sleep, but let Angel set her on her feet. "So, do you want to tell me what that was about back there?"

"Not really." Julie looked down in embarrassment. She played with the hem of her shirt, tugging on it, anything to keep her hands busy and her attention anywhere except Angel. She could feel his gaze on her, and wanted badly to explain everything to him, but she wasn't sure if she knew the words to tell him what was really going on.

Reprieve came when a vampire stepped out of an alleyway up ahead of them. Julie pulled a stake from her pocket, and she felt Angel switch to game face. The vampire noticed them immediately, and came at them.

"Fledgling." Julie hissed at Angel before having to duck out of the way of a fist. She spun around, and faced off with the young vampire. He didn't seem capable of noticing Angel, who had faded into the dark shadows.

"Slayer." The fledgling spat out the word as though it burned his tongue. Julie smiled wickedly, which distracted the vampire for a moment. From what had been told about the Slayer, this girl was not her. The woman before him who smelt of the Slayer was too demonic to be the actual Slayer.

"You got that right. I'm worse than the Salyer." Julie mumbled. She straightened her stance, and whipped the stake at the vampire. There was a dull thud as the wood was embedded in his chest. Julie smiled triumphantly as she turned to face Angel.

"Do you like to play or what?" Angel stepped out of the shadows. He had been there if she needed him, but apparently that wasn't the case.

"Only with the young ones." Julie grinned up at Angel as they continued down the street. "They think they are on top of the world with their new found powers, so I like to play, to put them in their place. Now, the older ones, they are all business for me. Sometimes pleasure, but that's only when one weasels his way into my heart."

"Oh really?" Angel raised an eyebrow, chuckling. He knew who she was talking about, and there was no doubt in his mind what sort of pleasure she was referring to.

Julie smiled slyly up at him, reaching for his hand. She entwined their fingers, seeming romantic rather than the recent mood between them. Angel nodded approvingly when she didn't try to take it further than just holding hands. She felt the tension in him melt, which made her feel more at ease.

"You know I'm not like that, right?" Julie told him after they had walked a couple of blocks in a comfortable silence. "I don't need that aspect of a relationship. I'm perfectly good with just this."

Julie gestured to their laced fingers. She felt she had to tell him that out loud, though she suspected that he had already guessed that much. Angel smiled, pulling her to his side with an arm around her shoulders. He kissed her temple, and couldn't help but smile widely. He was content with just being able to hold Julie, and it made him happy that she was okay with it as well.

"We should rent a car if we're going to keep doing this." Julie groaned, dragging her feet. They were finally out of town, but still had a mile and a half to go. Julie was basically only standing because Angel still had an arm around her shoulders, holding her up.

"I have a car here." Angel told her as though it seemed obvious. Julie looked up at him with a look some where between shock and a pout. "How do you think I got here from LA? Did you think I walked that entire distance?"

"Well, you certainly seem to like walking." Julie kicked at a pebble with her foot, grumbling to herself. Angel shook his head as a huge grin spread across his face. "Where is your car then?"

"At the motel. Where we left it." Angel shrugged. "Besides, walking's good for you. Keeps you healthy."

"I suppose it's better for the environment." Julie sighed. "Wouldn't want the ozone to turn into a doily. That would just confuse demon hunters across the globe if humans started to burst into flames in the sun as well as vampires."

"Interesting way of looking at it, but to each their own." Angel shrugged again. Julie was definitely a unique person; there was no denying that.

"I'm not going to lie and say that a car wouldn't be helpful right about now." Julie mumbled. Angel rolled his eyes, and picked Julie up suddenly. "What are you doing?"

"The only thing I can think to do to get you to stop complaining." Angel told her. He looked down at her. "Just be happy I didn't swing you over my shoulder. The thought had crossed my mind."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"I'll drive you in late tomorrow to school." Buffy told Dawn as they entered the house. Dawn nodded, and without a word, trudged up the stairs to bed. Buffy took Spike by the hand, and led him into the living room. He was still in a daze about what happened with Julie.

"She's not a demon." Spike mumbled mostly to himself. He stared straight ahead, and wouldn't look at Buffy. She was beginning to seriously worry about him. "What is she then?"

"A tortured soul from Hell." Buffy answered though she knew he wasn't asking her. Spike slowly turned his head to look at Buffy. "That's all she is, Spike. She's weighed down by all the sins we committed together and the ones she probably continues to commit. That is likely to bring out the worst in a person."

"It's more than that." Spike insisted. "It's like Hell was in her eyes, and she was showing a glimpse of where she could send you. There was no good in her when her eyes were like that."

"Spike, baby, you are starting to scare me now with all this. Are you going to be okay? Did she do anything to hurt you? Did she intrude on your thoughts?" Buffy brushed her fingers down his pale cheek, needing to let him know that everything was okay.

"No, she didn't do anything like that. She just stared…" Spike trailed off. He seemed to snap out of his trance suddenly. He hugged Buffy to him, raining kisses down on her face. "I'm so sorry, pet. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know, and I get that she is definitely a shocking character." Buffy was relieved to have her Spike back. She relaxed into his hold completely. "It's going to take some getting used to. That's all."

"I suppose so." Spike kissed her forehead. He couldn't tear his mind away from the image of Julie, but he could ignore it. At least while he had Buffy in his arms.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you." Buffy pulled away enough to look up at Spike. He gave her an intrigued look when he noticed how excited she was. "You were definitely, 100 right about the Angel half and Spike half thing. I walked in on Angel and Julie this morning. Okay, so they were just sleeping, but if you think about it that alone should have bothered me. But it didn't affect me at all."

"You didn't believe me?" Spike asked. Buffy eyed him warily, searching for anything to indicate that he was actually upset, but all she could tell was that he seemed to be amused.

"No, I did. It's just different having proof vs. just being told." Buffy assured him anyway. Spike shook his head, pulling her into his lap. She straddled his legs, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm happy you were right."

"Good." Spike rested his hands on her hips, drawing tiny circles lightly with his fingers. Buffy bent her head closer to his. "I love you, Buffy."

"I love you, too." Buffy grinned widely, before closing the distance between them. Spike growled into her mouth, and stood up with her held in place. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to walk them toward the stairs.

"Do you think you could be quieter tonight? Niblet heard us." Spike asked her, breaking the kiss half way up the stairs. Buffy stared at him with a horrified look, but she quickly covered that up.

"You were the one growling so much so loud." Buffy smacked his shoulder when Spike raised an eyebrow. "It's true."

"And you moaning and groaning to the Heavens was so quiet." Spike pointed out sarcastically. Buffy glared at him for all of two seconds before she shrugged, not able to deny it.

"We'll just have to find ways to stop that." Buffy winked at Spike before kissing him again. Spike didn't deny that the idea seemed to open up many doors for them.

* * *

Julie stretched and yawned as she woke up the next day. She rolled over, and cuddled up to the cool body lying next to her. Angel curled an arm around her back instinctively, feeling how hot her skin was.

"Are you okay?" Angel lifted his head to look down at Julie in concern. She tilted her head sleepily to look at him through half-lidded eyes. "Your skin is on fire."

"It's okay. I just had a little trip down under to make last night." Julie told him, draping a leg over his trying to press as much of her scalding body against his as possible. "As I'm sure you remember, it's uncomfortably hot there."

"Another soul to save?" Angel asked, resting his head back on his pillow now that he knew Julie wasn't sick or anything serious like that. "So you have no choice in what time to go at? You have to go as soon as it happens?"

"You got it." Julie nodded subtly. She sighed, and, though she didn't want to and she would probably regret it, she raised her wrist. Julie buried her face in Angel's chest with a groan. "How did it get so late?"

"Well, that's what you get for dating a vampire, and it doesn't help that you have to go on trips to Hell at random ungodly times." Angel held her tightly to him as he tried not to laugh. Julie stiffened in his arms, and he felt it, fearing he had said something wrong. "What's wrong?"

"I'm your girlfriend?" Julie couldn't help but smile as she looked up at Angel. Angel chuckled in relief and nodded, which only served to make Julie happier. "Really?"

"Well, what else are we to call this?" Angel brushed a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Is that okay?"

"It's better than okay." Julie insisted. She leaned up to kiss him. It was a bold move considering they had only kissed once, and that hadn't turned out so great. Of course Angel hadn't known who she was at the time, and Julie almost staked him first.

Julie didn't take the kiss further, worried about how Angel might react. She deepened the kiss when Angel's arms tightened around her, holding her firmly against his chest. She shifted so she was straddling his body.

"I'm sorry." Julie whispered, pulling away. Angel looked at her in shock for a moment before nodding. He released her, and Julie took the opportunity to slide off his body. She didn't go far, though. She stayed curled up against his cool side. "That was…I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Angel kissed the top of her head. Personally he couldn't believe that she had been the one to pull away first. He had to admit that last night when she said she was okay with not having sex, he had doubted her. But now…that had all changed. "So, what time is it, anyway?"

"3:00." Julie groaned, clearly not wanting to get up. With a protesting grumble, though, she sat up. She looked back down at Angel, who's hand rested on the small of her back. "I suppose I should head back into town to pack a few things."

"Yeah. I'll meet you at the motel after sunset." Angel nodded. It wouldn't be too long before the sun set, and they had to be at the airport at least a few hours ahead of their flight.

"Why don't I pick you up here? You can give me the keys, and I could drive your car back here." Julie suggested. It made more sense to her if she picked Angel up instead of him going the opposite way of where they needed to be. "That will also give me a chance to move my things here."

"Very true." Angel couldn't deny her logic. He looked at her thoughtfully, his hand still resting on her back.

"What is it?" Julie frowned when she noticed him staring at her. She reached out, and brushed a chunk of dark brown hair off Angel's forehead. She stroked his pale white cheek, looking deep into his eyes. "Is something wrong? If it's about Romania, we don't have to go."

"It's not that." Angel assured her. Julie's frown deepened; she didn't have any idea what could be bothering him this much. "Have you been reading my mind?"

"No, I promised you I wouldn't." Julie was taken back slightly by Angel's question. She looked down at him seriously. "I don't want you to feel like I am invading your privacy or anything like that. Though, I do have to say that sometimes I can't help but hear them, but that's only when your thoughts are at their loudest."

"Okay, I was just wondering." Angel shrugged. He rubbed Julie's back, her skin finally beginning to cool under his touch. "Now about Romania…"

"We don't have to go there for _that_ reason." Julie looked torn up on the inside, Angel could see that much. He sat up next to he, pulling her into his lap. "I don't want you to feel that you have to do that. It's completely up to you, and I support your choice either way."

"I don't know a lot about this, and what I do know is vague." Angel started, tilting Julie's chin so she was looking at him. "From what I understand, it's a _huge_ risk to follow Wesley's passage, and to make the grey areas go away my demon needs to be stripped from my soul. Is that right?"

"Yes, but then you'd be left as a very soulful immortal human." Julie told him. She wished it weren't true, but that is what the gypsy had told her when she asked about it. "You wouldn't be a vampire anymore, meaning you would lose your super strength, your ability to see in the dark, and you would get all the urges and weaknesses that humans have."

"I'd be able to see the sunrise." Angel mumbled to himself. If he had to breathe, all the breath would've left his lungs. Julie looked at him more closely, realizing that it had been centuries since he had done and seen all those things that everyone else took for granted.

"Yes you would be able to." Julie said just as quietly. Angel cupped her cheek, running his thumb along her cheekbone. It was a loving caress, and Julie's heart swelled at the gentleness. "Among other things."

Angel and Julie shared a moment of silence, both suddenly feeling the weight of this opportunity. Angel couldn't believe all the things this so called curse could give him. He could once again feel the warm sun on his skin. He could take Julie to the beach, and watch her play in the waves. He wouldn't have to sulk in the shadows, and he could leave the sewers behind during the day. He wouldn't have to take the red eyes anymore, and he could live a normal life with a normal job. Okay, so he doubted he would ever change his job, but at least he could leave Hyperion for the day if he needed to get away from it all.

"I should go get ready." Julie spoke gently. Angel had a lot to think about and decide, and very little time to decide it in. She felt that she had to give him time alone to figure out things. She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss before sliding out of his lap. "I'll be back at sunset."

"Okay. I'll see you then." Angel was in a sort of daze, so Julie quickly changed. She took just enough time to find the car keys in Angel's pants pocket, and then left. Hopefully Angel would snap out of it later.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"So, is he going to go through with it?" Buffy asked after taking a sip of her drink. Julie had stopped by the Slayer's house on her way to go get Angel. Buffy had invited her in, and now they were in the kitchen drinking Coke.

"I don't know if he will or not. When I left him, he was making a pros and cons list in his head." Julie told her, giving Buffy a saddened look. "I just wish I could see what was going on in his pretty little head."

"Can't you read his mind?" Buffy asked, once again confused, not that that was a new concept for her.

"I promised him his privacy so he could think this all over without having to feel paranoid about me hearing it." Julie explained quickly. She took the last sip of her Coke before continuing. "I think he just realized exactly what being a human means though. Like he can do all those things he's missed out on over the years. The sun for example."

"Yeah, but what about the rest of it? What about his power?" Buffy asked hesitantly, not sure if she was ready to hear the answer. Julie had been wondering when she was going to finally ask it.

"He'll be human. He won't have any vampiric powers, and for a bit he will be in a very weakened state." Julie decided it was better to just tell her straight than to sugarcoat it. "He will need help even walking. But that won't be forever, and then he will be able to destroy the Eye."

"But what will he do? It'll be too dangerous for him to fight demons once he is human." Buffy was very near tears by that point. Julie looked around finally finding a Kleenex for Buffy.

"You forget that he will still have his training. Lots of humans fight demons. Look at Gunn, Cordelia, Xander, Dawn…and the list goes on." Julie pointed out the brighter side. Okay, so it was a little sugar, but she didn't want Buffy to cry. She had never been comfortable with people crying. "Angel at least has the know how to kill demons. It's not like becoming a human will make him stupid. He'll just have to take some time to adjust to his new human strengths, and understand he's not as strong or as hard to injure as he used to be."

"Yeah, you're right." Buffy smiled, which made Julie feel a lot better. "Besides he hasn't said that he'll do it yet."

"Exactly." Julie nodded. Glancing out the window, she saw that the sky was turning a pinky orange. "I guess it's time to head out. I'll see you in a few of days. Give me a call if anything else comes up, otherwise I'll call you in a couple days."

"Okay, and have fun over there." Buffy silently wished she were the one going to Europe. She had to admit that she was jealous of Julie, because the Anti-Slayer got to travel the world while Buffy was stuck in California.

"It's not all it's cracked up to be." Julie seemed to promise, offering Buffy a small smile of reassurance. As much as she loved traveling, it would be great for once to just stay in one place for more than a month.

Julie climbed into the small silver Porsche; obviously a little glimpse of the lavish lifestyle Wolfram & Hart had set up for Angel after the firm's demise to keep the vampire quiet about all the happenings at the institute. Turning up her Billy Idol CD, Julie whipped the car out of Buffy's driveway, and drove to the mansion.

"I'm driving." Angel told her when she turned down her music and jumped out of the car.

"What? Why?" Julie asked in offence. Angel crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "If you think you are going to intimidate me into letting you drive, you've obviously forgotten who I am. Besides, I'm a great driver."

"Yeah, I can see that." Angel said sarcastically, checking to see that his duffel bag was still in the tiny trunk. It was a good thing that they both traveled light. "You'll get us killed with your driving, or at least pulled over."

"Okay, so I'm a little fast. So what?" Julie reached into the car, and pulled out her purse. She started rummaging through it, looking triumphant when she pulled out a black booklet. "I've got it all covered."

"Don't tell me what those are. I don't want to know." Angel threw his hands up in surrender. He saw that Julie wasn't going to drop this argument. It was better to just give in now. "Just promise to get us there in one piece."

"I promise." Julie smiled brightly as she got behind the wheel again. Angel made a point of buckling his seatbelt, which made Julie roll her eyes. "I hope you like Billy Idol."

"Why?" Angel groaned inwardly when Julie turned up the stereo. 'Dancing With Myself' filled the small car.

Angel rode the whole way to LAX with white knuckles. Julie wove recklessly in and out of traffic, cutting off people, and making a lot of the other drivers angry. Julie happily remained in oblivious bliss, only coming out of it to change CDs. To Julie's happiness, and Angel's shock, they made it to LA airport in record time and in one piece.

"Give me the keys, and remind me never to give them to you again." Angel couldn't have been happier to be out of the car. Julie tossed him the keys without protest, knowing that she could get them from him if she really wanted to. "Okay, that smile is creepy."

"Thank you." Julie tossed him his bag with a laugh. She reached for Angel's hand, lacing their fingers together. "You'll just have to get used to it."

* * *

"So did you see Julie before she left?" Spike asked, burying his hands in his coat pockets in search of his pack of cigarettes as they entered the cemetery. Buffy shook her head in disapproval when Spike placed one of the thin white sticks between his lips. He caught Buffy's look just as he was raising his Zippo to light the cigarette. "I can only promise to cut back, luv, not quit."

"Fine." Buffy sighed resignedly. "And yes, I did see Julie before she left. She stopped by the house to say that Angel was still undecided. She also apologized for overreacting last night. She said she would explain everything when she got back."

"So she was normal when you saw her?" Spike asked as though he couldn't believe Julie actually acted and looked like a normal human being. Buffy chuckled softly. The look on Spike's face was priceless.

"Yes, Spike, she was normal." Buffy nudged him with her elbow. It was an unnaturally cool evening for late Spring, and Buffy had to fight the urge to pull Spike into the nearest crypt and do naughty things with him until she felt warm again.

"Do you not think it's convenient? All of this?" Spike asked, oblivious to what Buffy was thinking. Buffy snapped out of the gutter to give Spike a questioning look. "That after years of fighting with emotions, it turns out you can technically have both Angel and I."

"I've never looked at it that way before. I suppose you're right." Buffy thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged. "To be honest, though, Julie and I are very different, and though I know she is a part of me, we are so different that it's easy to forget we are the same person. It feels more like I just lost all feelings for Angel other than just as friends."

"Still seems convenient." Spike murmured as they continued to walk through the graveyard. Buffy shook her head again, trying to rid it of the naughty thoughts that once again filled it.

"Hey guys! Fancy meeting you here." Willow smiled nervously at the blonde couple as she walked up to them. Buffy was about to lecture her on the safety of being out alone, when she realized what day it was.

"I'm so sorry, Wills." Buffy hugged her friend tightly. Willow couldn't hold in her tears any longer, and sobbed softly as Buffy held her. "Oz is dearly missed every day."

"I love Tara, everyone knows that, but Oz is…well Oz." Willow pulled back, wiping at her tears. "I will always love him. He was my first love, you know what that's like…"

"In a very twisted and complicated way, I do." Buffy rubbed Willow's back, leading her through the headstones to the werewolf's grave. Spike followed at a distance, understanding that the two women needed space. "Oz loved you too, Willow, even if it didn't always seem like it."

"I just wish I had been the one shot, and not him." Willow laid the white rose she had been carrying at the base of the marble marker. "I wish Warren hit me instead."

"And wish your pain on Oz?" Buffy pointed out gently. She hated saying things like that, but sometimes people just needed to hear those kinds of things.

"You're right." Willow sighed, kissing her hand. She pressed her fingers to the top of the smooth marble, tears slipping from her eyes. "I can't believe it's been four years. I can remember every gory detail like it just happened. Oh God! I was horrible."

"Warren deserved what was coming to him. No one doubts your judgement about that." Buffy turned Willow to face her. "You were grieving, everyone gets that, and if it weren't for your grief, who knows what would have happened."

"I could've killed everyone." Willow looked down at her hands in horror, unable to shield herself from the ghosts of her past. Buffy hugged her again, whispering soothing things.

"It's okay, everything is okay. Oz wouldn't want you to beat yourself up like this." Buffy smoothed Willow's hair down, rubbing her back. It was like this every year, but Buffy's heart still went out to her mourning friend. "Oz would want you to be happy, and to remember the good times."

"You're right." Willow said confidently. "He would want me to get on with my life, and not dwell on the sad times."

"Exactly." Buffy smiled, happy to have her Willow back. The Wiccan sniffled slightly, pulling away from the Slayer. Buffy backed away to give Willow time alone with Oz.

"Everything okay, luv?" Spike asked with concern when he saw that Buffy's green eyes were glistening with tears. Wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders, he led her away from the area of the cemetery.

"Nothing time won't fix." Buffy wiped at her tears, trying to cover up her sadness as she glanced over her shoulder at Willow. "It's like this every year. I'm worried about her, Spike."

"Red will be fine. She's a tough broad." Spike tried to assure her. Buffy nodded, trying to convince herself that Spike was right. It wasn't that Willow couldn't take care of herself, she could. It was that Buffy couldn't do anything to help her friend. "It'll all be alright."

"I hope so." Buffy glanced up at her lover. She couldn't imagine what she would do if she didn't have him. The past week had been crazy, and Buffy knew she wouldn't have made it through without Spike by her side. "I love you."

"I love you, too, pet." Spike looked down at her with a smile, tucking her into his side tighter. Buffy felt safe there, right next to him. "The Hellmouth sure seems quiet tonight."

"Probably has something to do with the ring being gone." Buffy suggested, silently praying that Spike hadn't just jinxed it. She was kind of enjoying the peacefulness of the usually active graveyard. She tried to stifle a yawn as she glanced at her watch. "We've covered three cemeteries. Perhaps we should call it a night."

"Perhaps we should." Spike agreed. He knew that the Slayer would want to train tomorrow anyway, and didn't see a point in keeping her out late if she planned on being at the top of her game tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Well, that was helpful." Julie groaned sarcastically, carefully entering the hotel room so as to not let in a lot of sunlight. Angel looked up from where he was lounging on the bed reading a book.

"What's wrong?" He asked, setting his book to the side. Julie flopped down next to him with a huff of frustration.

"It's been two days, and I still can't find the gypsy." Julie leaned back against the headboard, scrubbing a hand over her face. Angel patted her knee, not knowing exactly what to say. She peaked out from behind her hand. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep bringing her up."

"You have got to stop apologizing for that." Angel shook his head. If he heard Julie say sorry one more time, he thought he was going to go insane. "After sunset, we'll head out together, and hopefully find her. You did say she moved around a lot, and the last time you saw her _was_ a month ago."

"She could be anywhere by now." Julie slammed her hands down on the bed. She was fed up with searching. After checking into a hotel upon arrival, Julie headed off to look for Alvera, but had no luck. For the past two days, she had done nothing but search for the gypsy. "She could have left Romania for all we know. And we can't afford to stay here much longer."

"I know." Angel felt Julie's frustration and sadness. Though he still hadn't decided what he was going to do, he wanted to meet the gypsy just to at least hear what she had to say. "We'll find her, Julie. Don't worry."

"But what if we don't, Angel? What if we never find her, and we lose out on this option?" Julie thought it was hopeless. She was impatient, she couldn't deny that, but in her line of work she got results fast. It was hard on her when things took their time to pan out. She looked deep into Angel's brown eyes, searching for an answer to their problems. "I can't keep going like this; having to move every few days to keep Valhalla off my track."

"Valhalla?" Angel asked, the name catching his attention. He had never heard Julie say that name before. Though it did sound oddly familiar; something about the way Julie said it made him think that she wasn't referring to the Norse Heaven.

"The demon lord I stole the Eye from." Julie told Angel hesitantly. She didn't mean to say his name; it had just sort of slipped out. The name wasn't unknown in the demon world, and Julie feared that once Angel figured out who he was, the vampire would stop helping. As much as stopping an Apocalypse meant, it was rare to find someone who would go up against a demon who was more powerful than a God or Goddess.

"You have got to be joking." Angel gasped as it dawned on him who Valhalla was. "Are you crazy? You stole the Eye from _him_?"

"Yes, and it wasn't easy, let me tell you." Julie tried hard to lighten the mood. Angel opened his mouth to speak, but Julie placed a finger to his lips. "Now before you back out of this, hear me out."

"Back out? What are you talking about?" Angel was taken back by Julie's words. Did she really think that he would stop helping her simply because of who their opponent was? Obviously Julie didn't know much about him then. "I'm not backing out, Julie. That is not my style. Does Giles know about this, though?"

"Not to my knowledge, no." Julie shook her head. She didn't want a lot of people to know about Valhalla. Though she technically had bragging rights for being able to steal something from the demon lord, she didn't want to broadcast it to the world either.

"We should warn him. If Valhalla knows you have the Eye, then he could be on his way to Sunnydale right now." Angel got off the bed to go retrieve his cell phone. When he turned back to face Julie, he found her in the Lotus position with her eyes closed. "What are you doing?"

There was a long pause before Julie took a deep breath, and slowly opened her eyes. "He doesn't know that I have it. He is still in Asia looking for it."

"How do you know all that? "Angel asked in amazement.

"I have my ways." Julie told him, a mysterious twinkle in her eyes. "But I do agree. We should tell Giles and the others about this. Besides we should check in. We haven't talked to any of them since we left California."

"It's me…no, we haven't found her yet…Anyway, Julie just told me who the demon is that she stole the Eye of Eden from." Angel glanced at Julie, who was biting her fingernails. "Have you ever heard of a demon lord called Valhalla?…That's the one, and yes she did…I don't know the details…We just thought you should know…She's right here…Okay."

Angel held the phone out to Julie, who shook her head several times. She could only imagine what Giles was going to say, and she didn't want to hear it. She told them earlier this week that if she had to, she would figure out her own way to destroy the garnet ring. Angel, however, insisted she take the phone.

"Hey Giles…no everything's fine. You didn't interrupt anything. What can I do for you?" Julie tried to sound cheery. She knew what was coming next. "Nope, no luck finding her…Her name? Her name is Alvera Calendar…Yes, she is related to Jenny…Would you look her up for me? That would be great…Okay, bye Giles."

"You didn't tell me the gypsy was related to Jenny Calendar." Angel beat back to anger that rose in him. It seemed to him that Julie was keeping a lot of important details to herself.

"I figured it was a sore subject between you and the Scoobies." Julie said carefully as she handed Angel back his phone. She didn't have to guess that this little piece of information was going to upset more than a few people back in California. "I was only trying to avoid bringing up memories that are best left buried. Giles isn't over her death, Angel, and I thought it would be better to be silent than to bring his grief to the surface, and possibly put you in danger."

During her explanation, Angel sat down on the bed. His mind flashed back to that night when, as Angelus, he had snapped Jenny Calendar's head off. How could that death among with all the others be erased? How could he be sin-free with deaths like Jenny's hanging over his head?

"Angel?" Julie sat down next to the vampire, placing a hand lightly on his forearm. He looked up at her when he felt her warm hand on him, his brown eyes glistening with unshed tears. Before Julie could stop herself, she pulled Angel to her, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry."

"I have to do it." Angel whispered as realization hit him. Julie's hand that had been rubbing his back stilled. "It's the only way for me to make sure that Angelus never wanders the streets again."

"Angel, you don't have to do this. Angelus isn't who you are. Please don't think that." Julie pleaded. She was angry with herself for bringing up the past. "You had no control over what went on during those dark days. You're a different man now than what you ever were."

"The sun's setting." Angel looked at the heavily curtained window after a long, long pause. The dark green curtains revealed nothing, but Angel could sense that the sun was going down. "We should get ready to go."

"But how will we know where to look?" Julie asked. Her voice had a tinge of desperation in it, something that didn't happen often. "I've searched for two days with nothing to show."

"You said this woman is related to Jenny?" Angel asked for clarification as he put on his short leather coat. He sat on the edge of the bed again to lace up his boots. He looked over his shoulder at Julie, who nodded. "Then it shouldn't be a problem for me to find her."

"What do you mean?" Julie's face twisted in thought. It's not like gypsies only came out at night. Now, she thought, this would have been a perfect time to read minds, but no, she had promised not to. "How will you find her?"

"I have my ways." Angel tapped his nose, handing Julie her duster. She laughed, slightly wary, as she climbed off the bed. She slipped on her coat as they left the hotel room. The sun had now finally gone down.

* * *

"Valhalla? Why does that sound so familiar?" Willow set her book down. Running her hands through her hair, she racked her brain for the answer. Giles had called them to the Magic Box to inform them of their enemy, and since then they had tried to come up with a game plan.

"He's one of the top demon lords of the Hell dimensions." Giles answered, taking his glasses off to polish them. "He's been stuck in this dimension for about 500 years. My guess is the Eye of Eden was going to be his bargaining tool. He was going to cut a deal with the Devil so he could be sent back to his dimension."

"What if he wants to make this dimension his?" Anya—shockingly—suggested. Xander gaped at his wife in utter astonishment. It was rare for Anya to come up with an idea that was actually feasible. "What if he wants to unleash Hell on Earth to make a deal with the Devil in order to basically buy this realm off him."

"He could also just be wanting to destroy the dimension that has held him captive for centuries." Dawn shrugged. "It's anybody's guess at this point as to what Valhalla wants."

"Well, at lest we know he wants the Eye." Buffy fiddled with a jewel-encrusted sword on display on one of the shelves. "That's something, at least, that we know a little bit about."

"Should we be contacting anyone?" Willow asked, looking around the table at the blank stares she was getting. "Like the people Angel works with? Or Riley?"

"Why would we contact him?" Buffy bristled at the thought of her ex-boyfriend. Last time he had swooped into town, it hadn't turned out so great. "He wouldn't know anything about this. Besides he has other things on his plate. We can't simply ask him to put all his plans on the back burner just for our problem."

"We should call Wesley, and tell him about this new discovery." Giles quickly changed the subject. Buffy obviously had buried feelings for Riley Finn. "That is if Angel hasn't already."

"He might have a few different ideas, though, so it would be better to call him anyway." Tara pointed out. "He also might have some suggestions on how to deal with this demon lord."

"Okay, so maybe we should call Riley. If for no other reason than to give him a heads up." Buffy spoke again as though the Wesley part of the conversation hadn't happened. She couldn't deny that even the thought of Riley made her nervous. "I mean he has a right to know if the world might come to an end. Then again we've never called him before for that reason. Then again this Valhalla character may have crossed paths with Riley on one of his many missions across the globe. You'd think he would mention something then, wouldn't you?"

"Okay…Buffy, you should probably go get some rest. You're going to have to patrol extra hard for the next couple of days." Dawn patted her sister's shoulder, thanking every deity that Spike wasn't there. She wasn't too sure how well the blonde vampire would've taken this little rant. "Come on."

As Dawn led Buffy out of the door, she gave the Scoobies a wide-eyed look over her shoulder like she had no idea what was going on. Dawn took out the keys, and helped a dazed Buffy into the Jeep. She was worried about her sister. She knew that Riley had a big impact on her, but she didn't realize that the guy could still have that affect on her. When he had come to town unannounced, he had stirred up a lot of trouble for Buffy and for Spike. In Dawn's opinion, he was better left out of the loop.

"What's wrong with Buffy?" Spike asked, greeting the Summers women at the door. Buffy walked upstairs in a zombie-like trance, not even acknowledging her boyfriend. Dawn avoided looking into Spike's blue eyes, and instead played with the key chains on the key ring. "Dawn?"

"We had a meeting, as you know, and Giles told us some demon lord named Valhalla wants the Eye back, because that's who Julie stole it from. We were trying to come up with ideas about why he would want it, and then we discussed who we should call in case we need backup." Dawn told Spike quickly. She then tried to move past him, but Spike wasn't having it and grabbed her arm.

"Who are they thinking of calling, Niblet?" Spike asked in a warning tone. He didn't want to talk to her like that, but he needed to know.

"Riley." Dawn spoke quietly, staring at her shoes. She winced slightly when Spike's grip on her arm tightened, but it quickly loosened. When Dawn looked up, Spike was gone, bounding up the stairs two at a time.

"What's this about Riley?" Spike asked after startling Buffy with his entrance to their bedroom. She was sitting on the bed with a box of pictures in front of her.

"Spike, don't do this." Buffy put the pictures back in the box, and scrambled to get off the bed. She tried to reach for him, but he stepped away. "Spike?"

"You still want him, don't you?" Spike spat. He was angry, but he didn't know why just yet. "After everything we've been through together, you _still_ want him."

"No, Spike, I don't." Buffy told him, suddenly shy. "A part of me wishes I could have a normal life with a normal guy, but I've been wishing for that since I first found out about my destiny. I know better, though. You were right, Spike, when you told me all those years ago that I need a little more animal in my man."

"Why couldn't Julie be the half that loved Riley?" Spike sighed, going to the door. "That would've made things a lot easier."

"Where are you going?" Buffy asked in concern. She wanted Spike to stay so they could talk about this. She hated it when he just walked out when he was upset.

"Out." Spike told her over his shoulder as he left the room. Buffy followed him to the top of the stairs.

"But it's the middle of the afternoon." Buffy said to Spike's leather-clad back as he descended. "You'll fry."

"What do you care?" Spike spat at her, throwing open the front door.

"Oh no you don't! You are _not_ getting out of this relationship that easy." Buffy flew down the stairs, pulling Spike away from the doorway. She slammed the door shut, before slapping Spike hard across the face. Spike stared at her in angry shock as tears formed in her eyes. "You are _not _allowed to leave me! Ever!"

Buffy began to sob hysterically. She pounded on Spike's chest weakly, unable to control herself. Spike wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. Buffy struggled a bit before giving in. She clung to his black shirt as she cried into his chest.

"Sh, pet, it's okay." Spike whispered in a soothing voice. He stroked her hair softly, kissing the top of her head, anything to calm her down. He couldn't stay mad at her when she was like this, especially when she was like this. "I'm not leaving you. I never will."

He waited until Buffy's sobs had subsided before scooping her up in his arms. He slowly carried her upstairs to their shared bedroom. Buffy nodded off quickly with her head tucked against Spike's shoulder, tears drying on her face.

"I love you." Spike mumbled as he very carefully tucked Buffy in after taking her shoes off. He smoothed the hair back from her face, and kissed her forehead softly.

He sat in a chair in a corner of the room, watching over her while she slept. The box of pictures was in his lap; the same box that he had originally thought contained pictures of Riley. Spike stared down at the contents, the smiling faces of the Summers women. Joyce, Buffy, and Dawn all smiling. But those weren't the pictures that had caught his attention. There were pictures of Spike in the box as well. His favourite being the one taken at his crypt of Buffy posing with Spike in the background grinning. The Niblet had taken it, and Spike was glad she had.

There were no pictures of Riley in the shoebox, just of Buffy with her family and with him. He didn't understand why his Slayer had been so shocked about the Riley thing, but she had been looking at pictures of Spike. To think he had been recklessly angry about it, too. He could've died today, and then what would've happened to Buffy? He didn't want to ever leave her; he wanted to keep her safe. What had he been thinking?

"I'm crazy." Spike murmured to himself aloud.

"No kidding." Buffy snorted, catching Spike's attention. He was sitting on the edge of the bed in a flash. "Whatcha up to?"

"Just thinking." Spike shrugged, not willing to divulge more. Buffy sank back down on the bed as Spike ran his cool fingertips down her cheek. Buffy closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure at his touch on her fiery skin.

"What about?" Buffy opened her eyes to gaze up at her lover inquiringly. She turned her head to the side to kiss his palm. She reached up and played with a strand of white blonde hair that had escaped the gel that held Spike's hair slicked back. "What's going on up there?"

"Nothing to worry about, luv." Spike tried to assure her. He revelled in the feel of her hand on his face and the scent of her arousal quickly thickening the air. He shook his head slightly to clear it of all the things happening in the room like the enticing sound of Buffy's heartbeat. He looked at her seriously. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, just wasn't expecting to get all fluttery at the mention of Riley." Buffy laughed nervously, not able to meet Spike's gaze. It wasn't that she still had major feelings for Riley, but she couldn't deny that there was something there. But she could never tell Spike that, though she suspected he that already knew. It probably wasn't anything to with Riley, but more along the lines of a normal life. She was pretty sure she would always dream of having a normal life, but she knew she never would have anything like that. "I guess I expected that Julie would be the one like that, but I don't know why considering how I acted when he showed up five years ago. I just have to get used to the fact that some feelings are still there, and Julie doesn't have them all simply because I want her to. I just need to adjust to this all."

"We all do, pet." Spike kissed her forehead lightly. Buffy didn't let him pull away, though, kissing him deeply. As much as Spike felt this was probably not the best time, he pulled his shirt over his head, and began to work on Buffy's button down blouse.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Are we getting close?" Julie asked when Angel paused their search. She tried to look ahead into the darkness, but couldn't see anything. "Is there something there?"

"Can't you sense it? It's really close to us." Angel whispered, searching the darkness for the demon that had been following them for some time now. He was mildly surprised Julie hadn't felt the demon yet.

"I can't open their mind without seeing them or I will open your's as well." Julie explained under her breath. Angel nodded subtly to their right where he had caught a shadow moving.

"Over there." Angel's eyes glowed yellow, but he hadn't fully changed faces yet. Julie's grip on the silver dagger in her pocket tightened as she searched out the beast.

Julie's eyes landed on a hulking form that could barely be seen in the dim lighting the crescent moon offered. She opened her mind, staring at the demon intently. There were no defences set up protecting it's thoughts, and Julie walked into it's brain easily.

"Harmless." Julie sighed after digging through the demon's thoughts. Angel raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "It doesn't know who or what we are. It just thinks it might luck out and score an easy meal."

"That doesn't mean it's harmless." Angel pointed out. Julie shrugged; it could be a lot worse. "I suppose we could just kill it, but that would mean risking giving away our position to anyone else."

"Can you feel anyone else following us?" Julie asked, anxious to continue searching for Alvera Calendar. Angel shook his hesitantly as though he was uncertain. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to check."

Julie closed her eyes and concentrated on reaching out to the minds around her. She opened up Angel's mind to find him worrying about her invasion. She also reopened the demon's mind. Turning away from both strains of thought, she searched for anyone else's thoughts.

"A demon hunter?" Julie mumbled, trying to sort through the harsh thoughts of the other mind. This _person_—a term used loosely here—seemed to be following the other demon. "No, a bounty hunter."

"What?" Angel hissed, his guard going up. He could vaguely feel someone else, but they were pretty far off. He figured this _person_ didn't matter much to their over all goal. "For?"

"The beast." Julie's eyes opened as she turned back around to face Angel. She maintained contact with the bounty hunter, just in case. "Well, that definitely poses a potential problem."

"I say we move on, and fast." Angel grabbed Julie's wrist, and they were on the move again at a quicker pace this time.

Julie hurried after Angel, but had the strangest urge to kill the beast. It wasn't the first time she had felt this way toward something. She got joy out of foiling other people's plans. That was one thing she hated about herself, but it couldn't be helped.

"The beast is gaining on us." Julie informed Angel as they wove in and out of the trees. Angel was too busy following a scent to pay attention to such things. Julie had kept it's mind open along with the hunter's mind. "It's really hungry."

"Can you tell what kind of demon it is?" Angel asked, not pausing this time to search it out.

"Not yet, but I'm looking." Julie let Angel lead her through the woods while she concentrated on the demon's mind. "It's a Polgara demon."

"I suppose now you really want to kill it." Angel sighed, slowing down.

"I just think we should get it out of the way now instead of waiting for it to try and kill us." Julie pointed out. Though this was one motive, she would never admit to wanting to foil the bounty hunter's plan. "I don't want to take the chance that it might actually be able to sneak up on us, and possibly dust you."

"What do you know about Polgara demons?" Angel turned, and headed in the direction of the demon. He wanted to make sure Julie knew what they were coming up against, so she wasn't surprised during the fight.

"Large but stupid. Bone skewers that come from their wrists." Julie began to list off the traits of the demon they were about to face, ticking them off on her fingers. "Good eyesight. Vicious. Eat a lot. Reptile."

"You got it. Also they are resilient to harm, so be careful." Angel glanced over at Julie, trying to gauge her reaction to what was going on. Her stone hard face gave away nothing, but he noticed she had a dagger in one hand and a taser in the other. "Are you always this prepared for a fight?"

"Usually." Julie's mouth twitched into a smile. She met Angel's gaze. "I suppose it doesn't take you long to be ready."

"Not at all." Angel's face contorted into his vampire form. He also slipped a hunting knife out of his sleeve.

"Don't hesitate to ask for a weapon…I've got plenty." Julie told him. Angel put a finger to her lips to shut her up. They could hear footsteps coming closer fast. "Ready?"

Angel only had time to nod before the Polgara demon appeared through the underbrush. It didn't stop when it noticed Angel and Julie waiting for it. Julie ducked as it swung a bone skewer at her, narrowly missing her head. It tried to stab her with the other spike, but Angel knocked the arm away.

Julie took advantage of the Polgara's attention turning to Angel. She turned on her taser, grabbed the demon's arm, and jabbed the weapon into the beast's armpit. The demon let out a growling yelp, but otherwise seemed unfazed by the shock. It batted the taser away easily, leaving Julie's arm slightly numb.

Angel tried hard to force the Polgara's attention back to him. He figured as long as the demon was engaged with him, Julie would have time to figure out what to do. What Angel didn't count on was the demon being so strong. And those bones jutting from its wrists were becoming harder to dodge.

Julie quickly left the Polgara's line of vision, stepping around to its back. She gave it two quick kicks to the back of the knees, knocking them out. The demon was thrown off kilter for a moment, and Julie took full advantage of that. She plunged her silver dagger into the demon's neck, and twisted the blade. Angel grabbed the Polgara's head, and snapped it off.

"Hey!" Angel's face slipped back to a human visage as he and Julie spun around to face the bounty hunter. He looked angry, but Julie knew why, which gave her a bitter happiness. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Defending ourselves." Angel answered after glancing at Julie. He knew why she wasn't responding. If they needed to lie, it wouldn't come from her.

"You're injured." The hunter looked Julie over, and found that her upper arm had been slashed.

"So I am. Huh." Julie looked down at her arm in surprised. She didn't remember being hurt, but she wasn't concerned; it would heal soon enough. They always did. "No biggy."

"_No biggy_? That…animal could've taken your arm off." The man said. Julie shrugged again, her lack of concern obviously bothering the bounty hunter. "Actually I'm surprised that it didn't…who are you people?"

"We could ask you the same question." Julie tossed back, avoiding the hunter's question. She was a master of that. She pulled her dagger from the demon's neck, and wiped the goo off the blade on the demon's shoulder. "And we all know this isn't an animal."

"You're her, the Slayer." The bounty hunter's eyes went wide as it dawned on him. Julie smirked, making him nervous.

"Not quite." She told him, and watched him squirm. He was just a human, she could see that now. "So what are you doing all the way out here, and why are you hunting Polgara demons?"

"I was paid to get this one. He has been causing trouble for the people around here." The hunter told them, and Julie could tell he was telling the truth. He looked between Angel and Julie, but then seemed to realize what Angel was. He started to raise the stake in his hand, but Julie's words stopped him.

"Kill him, and you'll be signing your own death warrent." Julie's sharp words seemed to promise. "Come now, Jeff, we don't want to hurt you. We just want to be on our way. We have more pressing matters to deal with else where."

"How did you know my name?" Jeff, the bounty hunter, dropped the stake to the ground in shock.

"You told us it." Angel answered for Julie. He put a hand on Julie's back, and they started to walk away. "Sorry about killing your bounty."

Julie glared at Jeff over her shoulder, making sure that he stayed put. She didn't need him following them. For being a bounty hunter, she expected him to be a little tougher. She wrapped an arm around Angel's waist, and continued to walk away. She kept his mind open so she could keep an eye on him without actually staring him down.

"We're getting close." Angel told her after sniffing the air. That's when Julie realized what he was doing. He was smelling out the Jenny in Alvera, a smell he could probably never forget.

"Angel, are you sure you want to do this?" Julie tried hard to keep the desperation out of her voice. She felt like begging him to not go through with this, and she didn't fully understand why.

"Why are you so bent on me not doing this so suddenly?" Angel looked down at Julie. He wanted badly to understand why she was acting like this now of all times. "Is there something about this that you're not telling me?"

"Not off the top of my head." Julie paused, thinking over everything that she had told him. "Oh. You'll be weak at first, like when the demon first leaves your body, and all the powers that demon gave you leave with it."

"That can be expected, though. How long will it last?" Angel asked. He hoped it wasn't too long, because he didn't want to be a burden or keep the Eye in one place too long.

"I have no idea. According to Alvera it affects each person differently." Julie frowned. She didn't like the way the gypsy had worded it, and she had no idea what exactly that meant. "I have no idea how it will affect you, though."

"We're very close." Angel told her. Julie could tell that they were coming to the edge of the woods. Angel's pace quickened as though he couldn't wait anymore.

"Wait. Angel, are you sure you want to do this?" Julie pulled the vampire to a halt. She forced him to turn and face her. "Are you sure you know what you are giving up if you do this?"

"The need for blood. Having to live in darkness. Always fighting with my inner demon." Angel listed off a few of the bad things about being a vampire. "The list is endless, Julie."

"What about losing your strength, your ability to see better, heightened sense of smell, keen hearing? Have you considered those?" Julie listed off the pros of being a vampire. "You'll lose all those things that make you a good hunter."

"But I'll gain so much more." Angel ran his hands up and down Julie's arms, looking down into her eyes. "I've thought it over, Julie, and decided that it's worth it to lose all the abilities being a vampire offers."

"Okay." Julie sighed, giving in. She knew that she had lost, and that Angel was going to do this no matter what she said. "Just wanted to make sure."

"It'll be fine, Julie." Angel wrapped an around her shoulders, and they were on their way again.

Julie became nervous as they neared a campfire on the open field. No one could be seen around the open flame, and Julie didn't want to check minds. She didn't want to see into Angel's mind, a first for her. But Angel had led her here, so Alvera must be around. Angel gripped Julie's hand tightly, revealing to her that he, too, was nervous.

"We don't…" Julie trailed off as an older woman stepped out of the covered wagon near the fire. The woman didn't seem surprised to see the couple there, which led Julie to think she knew about them.

Alvera eyed them carefully, her gaze never leaving Angel for very long. Julie tensed beside Angel when the gypsy took a step towards them.

"Welcome Angelus."

* * *

Buffy gasped as she sat up in bed, holding the sheet to cover her naked body. She looked down in shock at the pale, blonde vampire sleeping next to her. Why hadn't she thought of it before?

"What's the matter, luv?" Spike asked groggily as he began to wake up. He always seemed to wake up at the right moment, sensing that Buffy was awake.

"You're sinless." Buffy couldn't stop staring at her lover. She had known him for years, and in the three years since he had died, he hadn't sinned. Not once. Or at least no worse than Angel had.

"What are you talking about?" Spike rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up faster. Buffy wasn't making any sense at the moment. Before he could get an explanation out of her, though, she was out of bed, dragging the sheet with her and searching for her cell phone.

"Hello?" Julie answered the phone, stepping away from the fire where Angel was talking to Alvera. She didn't go far, afraid to leave the two alone together too long. "Buffy?"

"Spike died." Buffy blurted out as though Julie should understand exactly what that meant.

"What do you mean? I would've felt that. When did that happen?" Julie frowned in confusion and worry. Buffy didn't sound upset about the vampire's death, which seemed out of place to Julie. Even she was feeling slightly panicked and upset about it. "Are you okay?"

"What? No, I don't mean he's dead…well not dust." Buffy shook her head, pulling on a pair of jeans. She glanced over her shoulder at Spike, who was sitting up in bed now. "Spike is very much alive right now, but he died, and you brought him back. Doesn't that mean he is sinless? Pure?"

"I suppose it does." Julie frowned, still not catching on. Though in her defence, she was more than a little distracted with Angel and Alvera and a new curse. "Buffy, what are you getting at?"

"Didn't you say you could see what state a person's soul was in?" Buffy asked. She knew she wasn't doing a very good job of explaining things, but she was too excited to get the right words out. "Well, what state is Spike's in?"

"Innocent, though not completely pure because he is a vampire." Julie gasped as she finally caught on. "You think he could do the job, don't you? Buffy, Angel and I are here with the gypsy right now, and he has agreed to go through with it."

"Angel is needed as a vampire, though." Buffy insisted, and Julie couldn't agree more. Though it would be convenient for Angel to become human, Julie was perfectly okay with him staying a vampire forever. "Spike, though it's nice to have him as a vampire, will be just as good as a human."

"What does Spike think of all this?" Julie asked. Somehow she doubted that the vampire was totally agreeing with all this. She took him to be proud of his demonic side.

"I haven't talked to him yet about it." Buffy looked at Spike again, and knew she was going to have to do a lot of convincing to win him over. "I'm sure he'll agree to it."

"I'll talk it over with Angel, and we'll see what he thinks. Give me a call when you get a definite answer from Spike." Julie told Buffy before shutting off her phone.

"What's this about me agreeing? Agreeing to what?" Spike was wearing a pair of black jeans when Buffy turned back to face him. "Slayer?"

"You're sinless Spike. Your soul is innocent." Buffy couldn't keep the smile off her face. Her heartbeat had quickened when Julie had told her Spike's soul was untainted. "Do you know what that means?"

"That Peaches is safe." Spike sighed. He didn't want to suggest it, but he had already thought of himself as an option. If he was being honest, he loved being a vampire. But he knew he would always do what Buffy asked.

"Really?" Buffy looked up at Spike hopefully "You would do that for me?"

"Of course, luv." Spike tucked her hair behind her ear. He couldn't say no to those big green eyes. "Love's bitch, aren't I?"

"Thank you." Buffy leaned up and kissed Spike softly. She couldn't believe that it had been that easy, but then again this is Spike we are talking about. He never once turned her down, especially when it was this important to her. "I love you."

"Love you, too." Spike smiled. Though he pretty much hated the idea of not being a vampire anymore, he figured it was worth it if Buffy was happy.

* * *

"Who was that?" Angel asked when Julie approached the fire. He was sitting on a fallen down log chatting politely with Alvera. He had to admit that being alone with Alvera made him nervous.

"It was Buffy." Julie looked down at her phone, still not able to understand why it had taken them this long to see that they had two men capable of destroying the Eye of the Eden right under their noses. "She's fine, we both just realized something, though."

"What is it, child?" Alvera asked gesturing for Julie to take a seat next to Angel. Angel relaxed slightly when Julie sat between him and Alvera, who sat on a lawn chair beside the log.

"Spike is sinless." Julie said to Angel. She wanted to keep Alvera in the dark about the Eye of Eden. Though she felt she could trust the gypsy with certain things, the Eye wasn't one of them. "Do you still want to go through with this?"

"Is Spike willing to?" Angel sounded doubtful. His grandchilde had made it clear he didn't regret Drusilla for turning him.

"Buffy said she would convince him to." Julie shrugged, shaking her head. "I honestly have no idea. Buffy has a lot of power over Spike, but he is dead set in his ways sometimes."

"Don't I know it." Angel snorted. That's when they both noticed Alvera eyeing them curiously. "Sorry, can we ask you a few questions about this new 'curse'?"

"Of course." Alvera nodded, poking at the ashes at the fire pit's edge. "It's perfectly safe. My ancestors used it to teach demons an unforgettable lesson. It strips the demon of their…well demon. It makes them human, but gives them everlasting life. They never age, much like a vampire doesn't."

"Yes, but in time vampire's do, in a way, age." Angel pointed out. It didn't actually matter to him if he aged or not, he just wanted everything to be laid out.

"That won't happen with this, Angelus." Alvera shook her head. "You won't change one bit unless you choose to change it yourself."

"How long are the demons usually weak for?" Angel hoped it wasn't long. If they could get an average it would help them plan better.

"Could be a day, could be a month." Alvera offered the couple a small shrug. Julie and Angel both groaned inwardly. "It's impossible to tell."

"Are there any other side effects we should know about?" Julie asked, mentally crossing her fingers that there wasn't. "Or risk of death?"

"There is a risk that without the demon, the body won't be able to support itself and will shut down." Alvera told them truthfully. She hurried on when she saw Julie and Angel share a doubting look. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, Angelus. Vampires are fine when we do it to them, because they were humans before they were demons. Werewolves are the same."

"What do we have to do to prepare for this?" Angel asked after glancing at Julie. He could tell that she still didn't want him to do this, but there was no turning back now.

"Just show up." Alvera was making this sound too easy.

"Well, we should probably discuss it with the others, but we will be back tomorrow night." Julie clapped her hands together and stood up. Angel nodded as he, too, stood. "Will you be here tomorrow?"

"I'm always around." Alvera nodded cryptically. Julie eyed the gypsy; her mind wasn't giving away much either. "Good night."

"Thank you." Angel nodded, and then disappeared into the night with Julie by his side.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Any news from Julie?" Giles asked Buffy the next day. Buffy snapped her head up, trying to act alert. The truth was that Buffy had barely gotten any sleep the night before. She had sought out demons to kill them, demons who she knew about, but had left alone because they weren't harming anyone.

"I'm sorry, Giles. What did you say?" Buffy rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up. She smiled gratefully when Tara placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of her.

"Have you heard from Julie yet?" Giles repeated with a roll of his eyes.

"Actually I have. I'm surprised she didn't call you, though." Buffy frowned, her mind quickly meandering away from the news. "I mean, technically you are her Watcher, so she should be reporting to you. Although I was the one who called her so maybe we wouldn't have even heard from her if it hadn't been for me. Although, Angel called you and you did talk to her, so does that count?"

"Buffy." Giles interrupted. The Slayer looked at him with a blank expression, waiting for instructions. "What did Julie say?"

"Oh! Her and Angel finally found Alvera, and they were just about to sit down with her when I called." Buffy informed Giles. She seemed satisfied with her response, and turned her full attention to her coffee.

"Why did you call her? Did something happen on patrol last night?" Giles sat down across from Buffy, intrigued. He didn't know that the two women had swapped numbers. He also didn't know why Buffy hadn't reported to him like she used to always do when something big happened on patrol.

"Oh, I just realized that Angel isn't the only vampire who not only has a soul but has also died." Buffy shrugged, acting as though it was no big deal.

"Of course. Spike. Why hadn't we thought of him sooner?" Giles snapped his fingers as he caught on to what Buffy was saying. "What did Julie say on the subject?"

"Well, Angel has already agreed to go through with it, but Julie is going to talk to him about it." Buffy explained. "Spike has also agreed to do this."

"Well, that can be expected." Giles nodded absentmindedly. He started mumbling to himself, and walked away polishing his glasses.

"Well, I should be off to work." Buffy shouldered her purse, and drained the rest of her coffee. "Thanks for the coffee, Tara. I needed it badly."

"You looked like you did." Tara smiled at Buffy as she headed to the door. "Have a good day."

"I hate Mondays." Buffy grumbled, exiting the shop. She put her sunglasses on to ward off the sunlight. Summer was coming, and then she would have two months off, not having to get up at an ungodly hour on Monday. Being a guidance counsellor wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Julie asked Angel after explaining her and Buffy's side of the argument. Angel was needed as a vampire, end of story.

"I still want to do this, Julie." Angel looked almost broody when he met her eyes. "Spike, if he really wants to, can become human as well, but I still need to this for insurance."

"Insurance for what? That Angelus will never walk the face of the planet again?" Julie got up from the couch, and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Angel. She took both his hands in her's, turning them so his palms faced up. She traced the lines on his palms. "Angel, you will never be able to wash your hands of the blood you have shed over the centuries. Thoughts of Angelus will always be with you, haunting you, even if it is impossible for him to cause more pain."

"I can handle the haunting, but this offer that the gypsy is giving us is too good to pass up. It will make it impossible for Angelus to make an appearance…ever. But also I'll be able to do so many other things." Angel lifted one of his hands from Julie's hold, and stroked her cheek with his fingers.

"But, Angel…" Julie started to say, but Angel put a finger to her mouth. She looked up at him, searching his face for anything that would give away his thoughts. Then he leaned in and gave her a tentative kiss, washing away her train of thought.

Julie's eyes fluttered shut as she kissed him back. Angel cupped the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he guided her down on the bed. Instinctively, Julie spread her legs when Angel ran his hand down her side, cradling her knee in his hand.

"I'm sorry." Angel apologized quickly, backing off fast. Before Julie could react, he had ducked into the bathroom. She sat up when she hear the shower turn on.

"Oh man." Julie sighed in frustration as she flopped back on the bed. She scrubbed her hands down her face, trying to think of anything besides Angel in the shower. "I suppose this would be one of the reasons to go through with Alvera's offer."

After about two long minutes of lying on the bed, Julie got up. She scribbled a quick note for Angel, and tied on her running shoes. Running had always helped her clear her head, and this time would hopefully be no exception. She needed something to do while Angel had a cold shower, and sitting around waiting wasn't an option.

The countryside of Romania flew by as she ran. It was beautiful scenery, but Julie didn't take any of it in as she passed by. She had retreated into her mind, trying to figure out what exactly she wanted. She was going in circles with this whole human curse thing, and she knew she had to make up her mind. Buffy was right about Angel being needed as a vampire, but Julie was a selfish person—it was in her nature. She would be lying—a thing that was impossible for her—if she said she didn't want Angel to be human. The other half of her knew that there were more options, and Angel was no longer their last resort.

Julie ended up returning to the hotel more confused than when she left. She was still torn between her two halves. Pausing outside her room, she searched out Angel inside. She didn't want to hear his thoughts, just wanted some warning as to what she was walking into. She felt him out easily, and found him oddly calm.

"Hey. How was the shower?" Julie smiled brightly at Angel as she entered the room. She paused just inside the doorway to gawk at Angel. He looked absolutely edible lounging in an over-stuffed chair. He was clad in only a pair of low hanging black jeans, and his pale chest looked like chiselled marble in the dim lighting. His dark hair was still damp, but quickly drying at odd angles.

"Come here." Angel gestured for Julie to join him. She shut the door behind her, and walked over to stand before the vampire. He gently pulled her down into his lap. "Do you understand at all why I have to do this?"

"Of course I do, Angel." Julie cupped the side of his face. She wanted him to truly believe her. "I wish I could tell you that I fully agree that this is a good idea, but I can't. It's selfish of me to want you to be human, because your team in LA needs you more as a vampire. We have Spike now to destroy the Eye. Not only that, but this is one task that you will have to change your entire lifestyle for, versus the millions of tasks in your future that will be easier to do if you remain a vampire."

Julie felt slightly better to finally admit that she was at war with herself. She relaxed slightly into Angel, running a hand over the cool plains of his chest and abdomen. Angel covered her hand with one of his own, stilling her movements. He wrapped his hand around her's, bringing it to his mouth to brush a kiss across her knuckles.

"I'm doing this, Julie." Angel insisted, looking her deep in the eyes. Julie nodded, unable to do anything else. Her mind went blank, and she was at a loss of words under his soul-searching gaze. He casually tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm doing it for no only us, but for myself. I _need_ to do this."

"Okay, Angel." Julie nodded. She got up, though she really didn't want to. She leaned back down, and gave Angel the briefest of kisses. "I'm going to grab a shower, then we should conference with Buffy and Spike to decide some things."

Angel nodded, and watched Julie wander around the room, gathering up her things for her shower. This was all so complicated, but Julie made it feel worth it. She offered him a shy smile over her shoulder before she closed the bathroom door. It was moments like that one that kept Angel on his toes. He loved when Julie let her confident exterior fall away, and she revealed what she truly felt. It was also moment like that that made him impatient for Alvera to do her magic.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Hey Gunn. Is Wesley there?" Julie whispered as she stepped into the sunlit hallway. She had woken up before Angel had, and felt the urge to call LA to warn the Hyperion gang about Angel's decision.

As she waited for Gunn to go get Wesley, Julie settled down on the bench seat in the large picture window. It over looked a quiet street in the village of Bran. She had never really noticed how beautiful the peaceful town was in the afternoon light. She had always been in a hurry, and had never really appreciated it until now.

"Julie? Did something happen?" Wesley took the phone from Gunn, concerned about the people on the other end of the line.

"Put me on speaker phone, Wes. This is something you all need to hear." Julie quickly forgot about the peaceful town below, and got straight down to business. "I need you to know that I fought this as much as I could, but in the end it is Angel's decision."

"What did he do?" Gunn asked almost accusingly. It was as though he didn't have much trust in Angel's decision-making abilities.

"He has decided to become an immortal human." Julie told them bluntly. It was a question she couldn't dance around much, so she told it to them straight.

"How is he going to do that?" Illyria asked, the same doubt in her voice that was in Gunn's voice. Julie could sense however that her doubt was more accurately placed.

"Alvera, a gypsy, knows a spell that will remove his current curse and replace it with another." Julie explained in a bored tone that a deaf person could catch. "That's not the point, though. He is doing this so there will never be a chance of Angelus being let loose ever again."

"It will also free his soul of any extra sin that his demon adds." Wesley spoke up after listening intently to all that was said. That's why Julie liked him, Wesley caught on quick, and didn't need a lot of prompting. "And then he can destroy the ring."

"Exactly." Julie sounded both sad and happy—sad that it was true, and happy because she didn't have to explain as much. "I tried to tell him that he didn't have to go through with it, because Spike can also have the spell done and be able to destroy the Eye. Angel has it in his head, though, that he needs to do this."

"You know, Julie, he will still be able to head Angel Investigations, vampire or not." Illyria told Julie in a calm tone as though she could read her easily. "He has the knowhow and the skills, and he can always work his physical strength back up."

"Illyria's right, you know, Julie." Wesley nodded. Oh great, now they could all see right through her. "Angel will be fine as a human. Of course it's understandable if he isn't what he used to be. He won't be a vampire anymore, but he will still be a great leader."

"You guys are more accepting of this than I expected." Julie was shocked at how well they were all taking it. All except Gunn. "Gunn, you haven't said much."

"Like you said, it's Angel's decision." Gunn sighed, and Julie could tell that he wasn't too happy or accepting with this news. He clearly thought along the same lines as Julie and Buffy, but Angel was set in his ways so there wasn't much that could be done.

"Okay, well, Angel is waking up." Julie could feel something stir in the hotel room, and knew she should probably get back in there. "I just thought you should know what was going here. I mean, I know neither of us has told you much. This just seemed overly important."

"Thank you, Julie." Wesley said politely. "We were beginning to worry about you two. It's good to hear that you are both safe."

"For the time being." Julie chuckled. She could never stay out of trouble for very long; it always seemed to find her. "Talk to you later."

Julie snapped her phone shut just as Angel exited the hotel room. She smiled up at him, trying to hide that she was hiding anything at all. Angel eyed her suspiciously, though. When did she become so transparent? Or had she always been so easy to read, and she just never noticed before?

"Who were you talking to?" Angel crossed his arms, leaning on the shadowed wall next to the door, just out of reach of the sun. Julie shrugged, trying to pretend that it was no big deal, and she would be fine as long as she didn't have to voice her lie. "Come on, Julie. I know you were talking to someone. I could hear you."

"If you could hear me, how come you don't know who I was talking to?" Julie dodged the question, trying to flip the spotlight to Angel. She could only dance around a subject so much, and Angel knew this. He simply stared at her, something Julie hated. She could feel her will begin to crack under the pressure of Angel's eyes. "Gods, do you have to be so nosy? It was Wesley, Illyria, and Gunn, okay? Jeez!"

"What did you need to talk to them for?" Angel wanted so badly to move to Julie's side, and only thing that was stopping was the thought of bursting into flames in front of her. "Did they call you? Is everything okay in LA?"

"I just thought they had a right to know about your decision." Julie sighed in frustration as the words poured out of her mouth. She wished that just once she would be able to hold back an answer for longer than a few minutes. "I mean, you being a human kind of affects them big time."

"Yeah, I was going to call them when I woke up." Angel surprised Julie by not being angry. She got up, handing him back his phone. He pocketed it, not seeming at all shocked that she had used it to contact California. "So tonight's the night."

"Actually, I want to run something by you." Julie spoke slowly, trying to measure Angel's reaction. He opened his mouth to protest, but Julie hurried on before he could say anything. "I swear I'm not going to try and talk you out of it anymore, I'm tired of beating that dead horse."

"Okay...So what's this about?" Angel eyed Julie suspiciously as they went back into their hotel room.

"I was thinking that maybe we should ask Alvera to accompany us back to California." Julie told him. While Angel had fallen asleep almost immediately, Julie had lain awake thinking about their situation, and what they could do. "That way we will be giving Spike the option of becoming human, moving the Eye to keep Valhalla off my tail, and you will be able to rest more comfortably back in LA. It's like killing three birds with one stone."

"Do you think she would be up for it?" Angel was all for her idea. His only worry was that the gypsy wouldn't want to leave Romania with them. For all they knew, Alvera never would want to leave her homeland—her only connection to the past—behind.

"There's only one way to find out." Julie shrugged. Alvera's mind had never revealed that much about the gypsy's desires to travel, if she even wanted to. "We'll ask her tonight."

* * *

"Dawn! Are you home?" Buffy called out as she entered the house. She tossed her keys on to the side table in the front hall, and was taking off her coat when she heard her little sister come running down the stairs.

"Hey Buffy. What's up?" Dawn asked, leaning on the doorframe. She watched impatiently as Buffy hung her coat up in the closet silently, and took her time unlacing her shoes. "I'm kind of on my way out, Buffy, so if you don't mind..."

"Where are you going?" Buffy asked curiously. That's when she noticed how her sister was dressed in what could be considered date clothes. "Let me rephrase that. Where are you going dressed like _that_?"

"Out for pizza, and to the movies." Dawn answered with a shrug, trying to pass it off as no biggy. However it was obvious to Buffy that Dawn had put a lot of thought and effort into what she looked like, making it a huge deal.

"With who?" Buffy narrowed her eyes warily. Dawn's make-up and outfit seemed to have a familiar flare to it that was a dead giveaway. Buffy gasped as it all clicked in. "You're going on a date, and you asked Spike instead of me! Oh, I'm going to kill him."

"Please don't. I forced him to let me go, and I threatened him into helping me." Dawn bit her lip. She knew that she had taken a big risk by not running this by Buffy. She hadn't wanted to get Spike involved, but Spike always gave in to whatever she wanted. "And yes I am going on a date, but Spike said it had to be a group date, so it is. Also Spike made me promise to let him meet Shawn first."

"He did, did he?" Buffy crossed her arms, looking deep in thought. She glanced into the living room. "Spike, I know you're listening. Get in here."

"Now, Slayer, the Niblet did force me to help her out." Spike jumped right in, and began defending himself. Buffy held up a hand to silence him.

"We'll talk about the date in a minute. Right now, I have something I need to run by you both." Buffy looked at both Spike and Dawn with a very serious expression. Time for business. "I just got a call from Angel and Julie. They are bringing Alvera to Sunnydale."

"Alvera as in the gypsy?" Spike asked for clarification. He had never known the gypsy's name, but he could assume that's who Alvera was. Buffy nodded. "Why?"

"To give you the opportunity to become human as well as Angel." Buffy told Spike. She knew Spike was only doing it because she had asked him to and not because he actually wanted to, so she hurried on. "Also, Julie mentioned something about the spell making you weak. It would be better if Angel was comfortable, so he can recover faster, so they're coming home."

"What did you have to run by us?" Dawn asked, trying to move the conversation along. She had final touch ups to do, and her date was due there any minute now.

"Well, Julie doesn't have a lot of money; and what she does have she uses sparingly. Alvera is going to need a place to stay." Buffy paused, waiting for Dawn or Spike to react. "I offered her a room here. I figured with Spike no longer using my old room, Alvera could have that room. Unless you guys have a problem with it..."

"No problem here, pet." Spike told her. Though he wasn't overly comfortable with letting a stranger into the house, he was happy it wasn't Julie staying with them.

"Why can't she stay at the mansion? Isn't that where Julie and Angel are staying?" Dawn asked, not fully accepting this. She didn't really trust Julie, especially after that show she had put on at the Magic Box.

"There is only one liveable room there, and Angel and Julie are sharing that one." Buffy repeated what Angel had told her. The truth was that Buffy didn't exactly know why Alvera couldn't stay at the mansion, but they had given her no reason to not let the gypsy stay at her house. "Dawn, I know it's not the best situation, but it's only for a few days, until Alvera has performed the curse swapping spell on which ever vampires want it."

"Fine, I suppose it's alright. I just hope she doesn't try to kill anyone." Dawn turned, and went upstairs to finish getting ready for her date.

"Well, you're safe. Your demon will remain intact unless you want it to be removed." Buffy told Spike without a hint of the sadness she felt inside. She didn't want to feel sad about Spike not having to become human, but she couldn't help it. She mentally shook off her sadness, and concentrated on more pressing matters. "Tell me more about Dawn's date."

"It's a double date with Nicola and her boyfriend." Spike chuckled. He knew Buffy too well to know that she was not as cool about this date as she was trying to seem. "The guy Dawn is going with is named Shawn. He's the same age as Dawn, and he's here."

Spike tilted his head to one side, and listened to the nervous heartbeat of the boy coming to pick up Dawn. What a sweet sound. Buffy broke his concentration by calling up the stairs to Dawn, who practically threw herself down the steps. She reached the bottom just as Spike was introducing himself to Shawn.

"Hey Shawn." Dawn greeted, rushing to his side to save him from Spike. Spike was trying and succeeding in intimidating her crush. "Ready to go?"

"Wait one second." Buffy stopped the two teenagers as they tried to escape from Spike's judging gaze. "What time will you be home?"

"The movie ends at 11." Shawn glanced longingly at his car over his shoulder. The bleach blonde man who had introduced himself as Spike was really beginning to creep him out. "I'll have her back here shortly after."

"Good. Say 'hi' to Nicola for me." Buffy pasted on a fake smile for her sister's sake. Dawn finally breathed easy; this was their chance for escape.

"Bye." Dawn waved over her shoulder, practically pushing Shawn out of the house.

"What movie are they seeing?" Buffy glanced back at Spike, her smile falling from her face.

"The new horror one. Why?" Spike eyed her suspiciously. He could practically see the wheels in Buffy's head grinding away. "We are _not_ spying on them."

"_We _don't have to. I will go alone." Buffy said with a note of finality. She left Spike pondering in the front hall while she went to change out of her work clothes and into something a little more casual. Spike quickly followed her. "If you come with me, it could be a date. A first for us."

"Vampires don't date." Spike told Buffy as though this was a well known fact. Buffy raised an eyebrow in his direction as she began to unbutton her blouse.

"What do you mean? Angel took me on dates.' Buffy tossed over her shoulder. She knew that that would make Spike jealous enough to take her out on one. Even though Angel loved Julie, and Buffy had no romantic feelings for him, Spike still hated to be outdone by his grandsire.

"Fine, but technically this is spying mission, so it isn't a date." Spike stuck his tongue out in a _very_ mature way. Buffy came out of the closet wearing her every day clothes, and sat down on Spike's lap. All it took was one pout on her part, and Spike caved. "Alright, I'll take you on a proper date...eventually."

"Thank you." Buffy smiled brightly, kissing Spike quickly. Spike was a sucker for those big green eyes, and her pouty bottom lip. "We're going to need disguises."

"What for?" Spike had a protesting tone in his voice. He didn't like where this was going. Not one bit.

"With your hair, Dawn will recognize you right away, and then we're screwed. She'll know exactly what we are up to." Buffy stared thoughtfully at Spike. She snapped her fingers, ducking into her closet again. "Wear these."

"There is no way in Hell I'm going to wear these." Spike spoke with disgust. Buffy had tossed him out a pair of stone washed jeans with holes in the knees. The cut of them was very un-Spike-like, which explained why Buffy was nodding with approval.

"Would it help if you had a more macho shirt?" Buffy giggled at the look on Spike's face as he realized that she had picked out a white and green polo striped polo shirt.

"Do I look like I would even consider wearing this style?" Spike swept an arm down his body as if to show Buffy for the first time that his colour of choice was black. "I'm not even going to ask where you got these clothes from."

"The jeans were going to be a Christmas present from my mom years ago, but I convinced her to change that idea." Buffy informed Spike as she turned back to the closet, trying to think of a not-so-obvious-Spike shirt. "I think the polo shirt was Riley's."

"It does look Nancy-boyish." Spike eyed the shirt as though it were pure evil. He was too busy staring at the offending garment that he didn't realize Buffy had found him another shirt until it hit him in the head. "Much better, luv.'

"Of course it is." Buffy rolled her eyes as Spike stripped off his tight black shirt, and put on the navy blue beater that had a barbed wire design across the chest. "It's from your collection."

"So what is Buffy going to wear?" Spike was satisfied when Buffy's face dropped. "Hey, you dressed me, pet. Fair is fair."

"Fine, but don't make it too slutty." Buffy requested. Spike pretended not to hear her as he brushed past her and into the closet.

"Do you have any new clothes that Dawn hasn't seen?" Spike was finally getting into this whole spying thing. He poked his head out inquiringly.

"I got new pants yesterday. They're in a bag on the closet floor." Buffy joined Spike in the walk-in closet. She looked at the mountain of shopping bags on the floor from yesterdays shopping excursion. "One of these."

"Wow, did you buy enough, luv?" Spike asked sarcastically as he gathered up all the bags. He dumped out all the bags on the bed, piling the clothes together. "Which pair are they?"

"Right here." Buffy snatched up the pants, holding them so Spike couldn't see them. She reached into the pile again, and pulled out a new top. "I'll be right back."

"Hey! I was supposed to dress you." Spike protested. Buffy ignored his pout as she went to change in the closet.

"Don't worry. You'll like this outfit." Buffy promised with a wink as she closed the doors. "No. You'll _love_ it."

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it." Spike grumbled, flopping down on the bed. He really wished he could have a cigarette right now while he waited, but Buffy hated it when he smoked at all let alone in/near the house.

He didn't have to wait long, though. Buffy threw open the closet doors, stepping out to strike a pose. Spike had to snap his mouth shut to keep from drooling. Buffy was wearing beige suede pants that looked like they were painted on her legs. She wore a low cut red Chinese style silk top that Spike found out was held on by a single string around her back.

"So? What do you think?" Buffy asked as though it wasn't obvious by Spike's reaction. She laughed at Spike's speechlessness.

"You should curl your hair." Spike was finally able to speak. Buffy reached up, and unclipped her hair from the bun it had been in. She loosened the twist into waves that fell like gold silk to her shoulders. "Perfect, pet."

"Can I try something with your hair while we're on the topic?" Buffy asked, approaching the bed. Spike nodded subtly, giving Buffy the permission she knew she didn't need to ask for. She ran her fingers through his hair, releasing the curls she knew were there from their confinement in the gel.

"There. Much better." Buffy smiled approvingly. Spike ran his hands over the soft fabric that covered Buffy's legs, resting them on her hips. Buffy looked down at her boyfriend, pure lust twinkling in her eyes. "We shouldn't."

"We've got time." Spike pulled her down so she was sitting next to him. He started to guide her back. "Loads of time."

"The movie—" Buffy started to object, but Spike cut her off with a kiss. Buffy completely forgot what she was going to say. She quickly lost herself in Spike.

"But you're right. Don't want to miss out on a horror flick." Spike was grinning when he pulled away from a very frustrated Buffy. He got up, offering Buffy a hand. "Shall we?"

"Only if you promise me one thing." Buffy took his cool hand, letting him pull her up.

"Anything, my love." Spike opened the bedroom door for her. She looked back at him as they headed down the hall.

"That you'll have sex with me when we get back?" Buffy asked hopefully and blatantly. Spike growled deep in his throat, pulling her back flush against his body, so she could feel what she did to him.

"I'm ready for you whenever you want." Spike's voice was velvety as he whispered into her ear. He caught her earlobe in his mouth to give it a little nibble.

"Spike, the movie." Buffy groaned, pulling away. She had to get away from him otherwise they would never leave the house. "Later. _I_ promise."

"So do I, luv." Spike still had a predatory glint in his eyes as they went down the stairs. "So do I."

* * *

"Welcome to California." The flight attendant said brightly over the PA system. Julie grumbled under her breath as she grabbed her carry-on bag—the only luggage she had brought with her. The attendant was too perky for 3 in the morning.

They travelled in silence as they drove to the Hyperion Hotel. Angel's business was unfortunately in full swing when they got there. Julie had a few choice words for that as well. Alvera, on the other hand, had nothing to say. She seemed to be in awe of all the big city sights and sounds. Julie and Angel hadn't realized before that the gypsy had never been to a sprawling urban city before.

"Angel! Julie! Good to see you back and alive." Gunn greeted. Once word had gotten to him that Angel and Julie were back, he had hurried down to the lobby. Gunn smacked Angel brotherly on the shoulder. "How was Romania? Lots of vampires?"

"Not as many as you would think." Julie winked at Gunn. She had always gotten along well with the eager demon hunter. From what she had heard, he was fond of her as well.

"This is Alvera." Angel gestured to the tiny gypsy beside him, who seemed to be examining the air around Gunn.

"You have a very bright and healthy aura." Alvera mumbled, but they all heard her. Julie shrugged when Gunn gave her a questioning glance.

"Gunn, can you show Alvera to her room?" Angel asked, mentally crossing his fingers that Gunn wasn't busy with another more important task. "Julie and I should really go find Wesley."

"I'm sure he's in the library." Gunn absently waved the couple away. He led Alvera toward the elevator, the two of them chatting away amiably.

"I didn't know you guys had a library." Julie looked at Angel inquiringly as they walked through the halls of the first level. "When did you get that?"

"We've always had the library. Didn't you find it on one of your many wanderings through this place?" Angel was shocked Julie hadn't stumbled across it. It was kind of hard to miss. Julie shook her head, though, causing Angel to smile and wrap his arm around her shoulders. "You'll love it."

"I'm sure I will." Julie sounded excited. She loved libraries, big or small. At the monastery in Tibet they had a huge library hidden from the public's eye that was full of books you wouldn't expect to find in a monastery's library. Needless to say that was her favourite place.

"Wesley? Are you in here?" Angel called as they entered the _huge_ library. Julie stopped in her tracks to gape at all the tall bookshelves stuffed to the brim with books. Angel paused to look back at her curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Pinch me." Julie breathed. She couldn't tear her eyes away from all the pretty books. Angel's confused frown deepened. "I have to be in Heaven."

"You definitely are Buffy's opposite." Angel chuckled as he reached for her hand. He tugged her along behind him as he ventured deeper into the stacks. "Want to do me a favour?"

"Find Wesley?" Julie didn't have to read Angel's mind to know that that was what he was thinking about. From what Julie could tell it would take them hours to find Wesley in the massive library if they did it the good old fashioned way. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Angel gave Julie the permission she needed. Julie smiled at him brightly. For the first time in days, Angel didn't feel nervous about having his mind possibly read. It made Julie feel really good.

"This way." Julie pointed to their left. Angel grinned as he watched a blush creep on to her face. He didn't think it was possible to actually make the Anti-Slayer redden, but he had by simply thinking about what he was going to do to her once he was a human.

Julie led Angel through the bookshelves. She made sure she kept slightly ahead of him so he wouldn't be able to see that she was still blushing. She had no idea why she was so red; she had never been embarrassed by sex before. Fortunately it didn't take the couple long to track down the ex-Watcher.

"Hello you two. I didn't know you were coming back to LA so soon." Wesley snapped closed the book he had been reading. He gestured for them to sit on the leather couch across from him. "So, is Alvera here?"

"Gunn is showing her to her room." Angel nodded as he explained. "She's not quite used to travelling across time zones."

"It doesn't help that it is 3:30 am." Julie pointed out after glancing at her watch. Wesley understood naturally, having had a similar problem on his first couple trips to the States from England. "I really should be getting some rest as well. Big day and night tomorrow."

"Why? What's happening tomorrow?" Wesley looked between Angel and Julie questioningly. He leaned forward in interest, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Julie's driving me back to Sunnydale, and Alvera is going to be doing the spell." Angel told Wesley with some hesitation. He felt bad about spending so much time away from the business. "That is if you can spare me. I don't exactly know how long I will be away."

"Angel, it's fine." Wesley interrupted before Angel could continue. He knew the vampire was worried, but he didn't have to be. "There are no crisis's right now that are larger than this pending Apocalypse. If we need help, and you are still recovering, we'll call Julie or Buffy."

"Not that I could ever replace you, but I'm here to help you in any way I can." Julie laid a hand lightly on Angel's knee. He looked over at her to see just how sincere she really was. "If that means working here on a job or two then I will give 100."

"And we would only call on Julie if we were desperate." Wesley joined in on trying to reassure Angel that everything would be okay without him for at least a couple of weeks. "I know she wouldn't want to leave you while you're still recovering, and we wouldn't want to tear her away from you."

"Angel, Hyperion will be waiting for you when you're strong enough to come back to it." Julie spoke softly, but she knew Angel had heard. She glanced over at Wesley looking for some encouragement. Though she didn't usually need to be reassured herself, Wesley's subtle nod comforted her. "If you want, we can always postpone the spell casting so you can get some work done here. If you feel that's what you should do."

"No, no, Wesley says everything is fine. I trust him." Angel shook his head several times at Julie's suggestion. He didn't want to prolong the agony he was in by waiting even longer to become human. Julie smiled happily, her brightness telling Angel he was making the right choice. "Anyway, Julie and I should be heading up. Long day ahead of us."

"Yes, well, good night." Wesley seemed anxious to get back to his book. Only Julie knew what it was about, but kept Wesley's fetish for old Westerns to herself.

"Night, Wesley." Julie smiled warmly down at the ex-Watcher. As she and Angel walked away, Julie winked knowingly over her shoulder at him. Wesley blushed, but simply turned back to his book.

"Okay, got her all settled in to room 21." Gunn told Angel and Julie when they stopped by the reception desk to bid him good night. "Alvera is certainly something."

"That she is." Julie kissed his cheek. The lack of sleep mixed with the late hour must've gotten to her. It was rare for her to show random affection like that for someone. "Thank you so much. I owe you a match."

"Tomorrow?" Gunn asked, hope gleaming in his eyes. When Julie was last there, she and Gunn sparred all the time, constantly upping the bets too.

"I'll see if I can squeeze you in before we head off." Julie promised, flashing him a wide smile. Angel cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked over at him to see him dangling a pair of keys for her to see. "Okay, well, we'll see you when we wake up. Good night, Gunn."

"See you." Gunn called after them as the couple made their way over to the elevator.

"I can't wait to sleep for 12 hours at least." Julie sighed, leaning into Angel's hold when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him thoughtfully. "So this is your last night, I suppose."

"You suppose right." Angel nodded, thinking about that. It had just hit him that 24 hours from now he would no longer rely on blood as a life source. He would no longer be forced into the darkness.

"So what do you want to do tonight to commemorate that?" Julie asked. She felt she had to do something for Angel to celebrate this milestone event. Angel shrugged as though it was no big deal. "I don't care what you say, we are celebrating. I just don't know how yet."

"Julie, wouldn't you rather just sleep?" Angel tried to plant that idea back into her head, but it didn't seem to be working. She tugged on his arm excitedly as they left the elevator.

"Come on, Angel. Don't be such a party pooper." Julie complained as she waited for Angel to unlock their room. Suddenly an idea came into her mind, and once there she couldn't shake it. "So what do you want for your last meal? I'll give you any kind of blood you want."

"You know I only drink pig's blood."Angel raised an eyebrow at Julie as he flopped down on the bed. He flipped on the TV, and started to surf the channels, looking for the news.

"Pig's blood coming right up." Julie left the bedroom to go into the kitchenette. She found the fridge stuffed full of packets of blood. She heated it up in a mug, getting it as close to 98.7 degrees as she could without boiling it.

"You know you didn't have to do that." Angel accepted the cup, however. Julie got comfortable on the bed next to him, settling in to watch the news with her boyfriend.

After a long silence, Julie glanced over at Angel. He was sipping away at the blood, his face contorted into that of his demon. Sudden intrigue took over Julie, and she realized that now was her chance. She slowly moved to straddle Angel's lap.

"What are you doing?" Angel asked, almost protesting as Julie took his half-empty mug from him. She set it quickly on the night stand so she could turn back to examine Angel's demonic face.

"You know, I've never had a good chance to truly look at you." Julie murmured as she began to run her fingers lightly over Angel's face. He stiffened under her touch as though he didn't want her touching him when he was like this.

"Please don't." Angel tried to pull away from Julie, but she held his face between her two hands. Angel refused to look her in the eyes. "You shouldn't have to see me like this."

"Angel, I want to." Julie's voice was soft but insistent. She kissed his forehead, which made him stiffen even more. She put her lips to his ear. "Relax."

Angel tried to physically shake the tension from his body as Julie continued her examination of his face. She traced her fingers delicately over the furrows on his brow. She brushed her finger down his crinkled nose slowly. She rubbed her thumb across his lower lip, wincing slightly when she felt one of his fangs puncture her skin.

"Sorry." Angel turned away. Julie frowned at Angel's profile.

"Why do you hate yourself so much?" Julie couldn't stop herself from asking. It really bothered her, this self-loathing Angel had. He slowly turned back to look at her, drop of her blood resting on his lower lip.

"Because I've done horrible things to so many people." Angel used the same old tired line. Julie raised an eyebrow; she wasn't satisfied with his answer. Angel's tongue flicked out of his mouth, licking up the blood on his lips. "I feed on blood; it's what keeps me alive. I shouldn't exist."

"And you think I should." Julie asked gently, though she felt like yelling at him; anything to snap him out of his trance of self-hatred. "Angel, I don't belong here anymore than you do."

Julie leaned in then, pressing her lips to his mouth. This kiss quickly grew in passion. Julie's tongue pushed past Angel's sharp teeth. She could taste her own blood in Angel's mouth. He rested his hands on her hips, pulling her to him tighter. Julie guided Angel's mouth down to her neck.

"Julie, no. I can't." Angel came to his senses as he kissed her pulse. He wanted to, but knew that he shouldn't.

"Angel...please..." Julie moaned. Her head was hazy, but she couldn't shake the fog. She felt Angel nibble her neck as though testing it. He pulled back slightly.

"Are you sure?" Angel asked. He couldn't deny himself such sweet nectar. Julie's blood was sweeter and more potent than that of the Slayer. That single drop of blood just was not enough to whet his new found appetite.

"Positive." Julie looked down with a reassuring smile. For some reason she felt she had to do this. She felt she had to let Angel drink her blood. "I should warn you, though..."

Julie trailed off as Angel sank his teeth into Julie's neck. It surprised her that there was no pain, a little sting at first, but that quickly faded. Unlike all the other times she had been bitten in the past where the pain had seared through her during the struggle to get the vampire's teeth out of her vein. This time was more like being lulled into a dream-state of hazy pleasure. Angel wrapped his arms around her, which encouraged her to relax even more.

Angel ran his tongue over his bite mark one more time before pulling away. Julie opened her eyes half way, and stared at Angel with love glistening in her eyes. He reached over to the night stand, and handed her a couple of Kleenexes for her neck. He tucked her hair behind her ears silently as she held the wad of tissue to her neck. Angel let his demon slip away, once more returning to human.

"I love you." Julie cupped Angel's cheek, running her thumb along his cheekbone. "But I should have warned you beforehand. We're connected on a higher level, and can now talk..."

_With our minds_. Julie finished off in her head. She watched as realization dawned on Angel. _I can hear your every thought now, and you can hear mine. I'm so sorry._

"It's okay." Angel spoke aloud. He sat up straighter and kissed Julie deeply. Though she felt bad about not telling him this one detail, his kiss wiped away her long-winded apology. _I love you_.

"I really am sorry about this." Julie tried to at least get that part of her apology out, but angel put a finger to her lips.

"I don't regret it." Angel told her simply. Those words lifted Julie's spirits a bit more. "I wouldn't be a vampire if I told you I hated drinking your blood. Sure, it would've been nice to know beforehand about this certain side effect, but I still would've bitten you."

"It doesn't help that I forced myself on you." Julie chuckled mostly to herself. She slid from Angel's lap, and crawled to the edge of the bed. "On that note, I'm going to bandage myself up so I don't tempt you anymore."

Angel was about to nod when Julie stood up and almost fainted. Angel, fortunate for still having vampire abilities, caught her before she could hit the floor. Slowly Julie opened her eyes as Angel laid her down on the bed.

"Would you stop thinking that you took too much? You didn't, okay?" Julie protested when Angel held her down when she tried to sit up. "I'll be fine."

"You need sleep." Angel set her with a stern look. _I'll bandage you up, but right now you need to rest._

"Truer words." Julie smiled weakly up at her boyfriend. She really hadn't thought that Angel had taken a lot at all. She didn't think that he had sucked her blood for that long. So why was she so tired? None of this made sense. She sat up straight quickly, gasping.

"Buffy." Julie covered her mouth as it dawned on her. Something must be very, very wrong with Buffy if it was affecting her. "Something's wrong."


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Is she going to be okay?' Willow rushed up to Spike in the waiting room. The blonde vampire looked in pretty bad shape himself. "Spike, what happened?"

"We got attacked on patrol." Spike dropped his face into his hands. "These were a different sort of vampire. They knew exactly what they were doing."

"What happened?" Willow sat down next to Spike. She laid a hand on the torn shoulder of his leather duster. The wound beneath the slash had healed to the point where it was a puckered pink scar on the pale sink. "How many were there?"

"Seven, but they snuck up on us right under our radar. We didn't sense them coming." Spike sounded torn. He looked up at Willow with glassy blue eyes. "They ambushed us, knocking me out right away, and just beat on Buffy. When I finally came to, they were trying to torture information out of her."

"Torture?" Willow swallowed hard. Every time she thought of torture, she was always reminded of the time when she had the skin on her stomach eaten off in strips. "What sort of torture?"

"They broke her ribs. One out, the next in." Spike barely got out before he was racked with sobs. Willow wrapped her arms around him as she began to cry along side him. "She's not going to make it."

Morning light shone through the windows lining one side of the hallway as Julie rushed down it toward the waiting room. She had driven as fast as she could to get back to Sunnydale, leaving Angel and Alvera to drive there that night. She had fought off the blackness that threatened to consume her mind as she sped down the highway towards Sunnydale hospital.

She ignored all the sleeping Scoobies, and headed straight for Spike. The blonde vampire was wide awake, rocking back and forth in worry. Julie had nearly reached him when the dizziness finally caught up with her, and she collapsed. Luckily Spike caught her, and helped her into the seat on his other side.

"She's not going to make it, Spike." Julie told the vampire, looking him in the eye. She hated having to tell him that, but there wasn't much time. "Listen, I need you to do a huge favour for me. With Buffy and I gone, you and Angel are going to be the only ones strong enough to destroy the Eye. I _need_ you to promise me that you will help Angel recover, and for you two to put your differences aside. For Buffy."

"Julie, don't talk like that." Spike couldn't stop the tears from springing to his eyes again. He wiped at them viciously. "There has to be something we can do to stop this from happening."

"Spike, there is no time. Whatever healing spell I have won't work." Julie looked desperate. For what reason, Spike had no idea. "I'm too weak, and Buffy is too far gone."

"I'll turn her if I have to." Spike sounded furious. At Julie, at those vampires, at the whole world.

"What?" Julie and Spike looked up quickly to see Dawn standing before them. Spike opened his arms, and Dawn fell into them. Julie looked away, feeling guilty for witnessing such a moment. "Buffy's really hurt, isn't she?"

"It's worse than we thought, lil bit." Spike pushed Dawn's hair out of her face, trying to cover up his own tears. He needed to be brave for Dawn, just as he had the last time. "Julie proves that."

"Were you serious?" Julie looked at Spike, searching for the answer in his mind. Did he say he would turn her because he was mad, or was it something else? "Spike, if you were serious about turning Buffy, it's now or never."

"You're going to turn Buffy?" Dawn asked in shock. She hadn't realized that Spike was serious about that.

"Well, that's up to you, Niblet." Spike looked deep into Dawn's eyes inquiringly. Dawn looked between Julie and Spike, undecided.

"She'll die for sure if she isn't turned into a vampire." Julie scared Dawn by how much she seemed to promise that. Julie paused for a second in thought. "Unless..."

* * *

"Julie, this is crazy." Xander hissed as he and Willow followed the Anti-Slayer down the darkened hallway. They tip-toed past the nurse's station, Julie pausing to search out anyone nearby.

"That's why it's going to work." Julie smiled deviously over her shoulder. "Just be sure that you have that dagger blessed, Red."

"It'll be ready." Willow paused in her mumbling to assure Julie. Julie nodded approvingly, and continued down the hall. Buffy was finally out of surgery, but she was still very critical and not stable at all.

They found the room easily, all Julie had to do was find her mind among the masses of tortured and struggling voices that cried in her head. Without a word, the three of them set up for the spell. Julie was drawing on the last of her power, but fortunately she had Willow to help. Xander set up the white candles that he had purchased early that afternoon.

"Does everyone know what to do?' Julie asked once the candles were all lit, and Willow was done blessing the knife. Willow nodded, but Xander couldn't take his eyes off Buffy's prone form just laying in her bed hooked up to all these machines. "Xander?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I know what to do." Xander shook his head, tearing his eyes away from Buffy.

Julie took the knife from Willow, and began to speak clearly in fluent Latin. Xander tried to concentrate, but the fire that lit in Julie's eyes captured his attention. Her eyes were very similar to what they had been at the Magic Box, but these weren't the flames of anger. Her awesome power crackled through the air as she drew on her unknown magical resources. The flickering candles only added to the mystical aspect of the whole ordeal.

"Xander. The holy water." Julie hissed out of the corner of her mouth. Willow nudged him sharply with her elbow, breaking his trance.

"Sorry." Xander whispered as he sprang into action. He dipped his finger into the bowl of holy water he was in charge of. He drew a cross with the holy water on Buffy's forehead, mumbling something in Latin that he didn't understand. He leaned over her, kissing the cross of holy water.

Julie nodded that his part was done when Xander looked up at her. He stepped back from the bed, letting Julie take his place. Willow took over the Latin speaking as Julie raised the knife to her hand. She didn't wince at all as the blade sliced smoothly through the skin on her palm. She let a couple of drops of blood land on Buffy's forehead to mix with the holy water, turning the cross red. Once the cross was a deep red colour, Julie moved her hand to hover over Buffy's lips. Willow had removed the breathing tube while Julie's blood was mixing.

Xander watched in complete awe as Buffy swallowed Julie's blood with little help. He couldn't believe that she was breathing on her own. Julie rubbed the cross away, smearing the bloody holy water across her forehead. That seemed to seal the deal; Buffy's breathing became stronger, and the colour was already beginning to return to her cheeks.

"We should go." Julie looked up at Willow and Xander. The other two looked confused. Buffy seemed about to wake up, shouldn't they stay? "No, we can't. Buffy will be fine, but if we are caught in here, it won't do anyone any good. The nurses are probably one their way to check on her, anyway."

"Are you okay?" Willow looked at Julie with concern. Julie's eyes were duller than usual, and seemed sunken into her head more. Her skin was ashen, and her lips were cracked and pale. "You don't look so good."

"I'll be fine. Just need a little rest." Julie assured the witch. She pasted a smile on her face to try and convince Willow that everything was going to be okay. 'With Buffy back on track, I'll be fine. Let's go."

Xander and Willow followed Julie from the room hesitantly. Neither wanted to leave their friend, especially if Buffy was going to wake up soon. Julie didn't give them the option of staying when she grabbed them and pulled them from the room. She made them walk in front of her so she could keep an eye on them. Spike was pacing in the waiting room, trying to be calmed down by Angel when they returned.

"Is she alive? Will she be okay?" Spike pounced on them when they entered the room. Julie didn't answer; instead she went to Angel to hug him hello—he had just gotten to the hospital by the looks of things—and to use him to hold her up.

"She'll be fine, Spike." Julie finally spoke, leaning back against Angel, who had his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on the top of her head. "It'll take some time, but she is breathing on her own, and my blood seems to be making her stronger by the minute."

"Your blood?" Angel and Spike asked in unison. Angel looked at her as best he could over her shoulder. Already he didn't like the sounds of this.

"Calm down." Julie patted Angel's hands where they rested on her stomach. She chose to ignore his thoughts, concentrating for now on Spike. "I did the one thing that could be done just shy of turning her into a vampire."

"Which is?" Spike was becoming more impatient by the second not at all enjoying being kept in the dark as it were. He was beginning to think that he should have asked about Julie's plan a little more before he let her run off.

"I gave her my blood. It will help her heal faster...a lot faster." Julie finally acknowledged Angel, looking back at him. "My blood is more potent than even her's, and mixed together in the proper way, it can act as an elixir of life in a sense. Her body will heal, and in a couple of days she will be able to slay again."

"You're blood is some pretty confusing stuff." Angel whispered in her ear, although Julie already heard him say it in his head.

_You love it_. Julie winked at him before turning back to Spike. The platinum haired vampire gave them a weird look, but let it go. He was too worried about Buffy to wonder about what had gotten into Angel and Julie.

"How was she when you left her?" Spike asked. He was also curious as to why they had even left her. He supposed it was a good thing he didn't go along with them; he never would have left.

"She was breathing on her own, which is always a good sign." Julie promised him. She cuddled into Angel's hold when his arms tightened around her. Her knees were beyond shaky, and she doubted very much that she would be standing right now if Angel hadn't been there. "Her colour was returning...All in all, she looked a lot better. More than I can say for myself."

_You look beautiful_. Angel insisted, kissing the top of her head. He scooped her up in his arms, though; it didn't take a genius to realize how drained of energy she was. "We should get you back to the mansion."

"No, I should stay here. Buffy might..." Julie's protest died off when Angel put a finger to her lips.

"You need to rest. You were supposed to rest in LA, but then you rushed off to be here." Angel pointed out. Julie opened her mouth to defend her actions, but Angel continued on before she could say a word. "It was good that you came. Buffy definitely needed you, but driving here and then performing a spell while you were already weakened...not a good idea, babe. So no you will do as I say, and I say you go to sleep."

"Fine." Julie gave in, pouting and crossing her arms. Angel looked relieved that he didn't have to argue with her anymore. "But only if Spike swears to call us the second he hears anything."

"You know I will." Spike nodded, even though he thought that was obvious. Angel glanced at his grandchilde, a silent thank you passing between the two.

"Anything at all, Spike, good or bad." Julie said over Angel's shoulder as he turned to leave. Spike nodded again, watching them as they went. Julie looked at Angel once they had left the waiting room. "Where is Alvera?"

"At Buffy's house." Angel told her simply as he struggled to push the down button on the elevator. Julie took pity on him then, and pressed the button for him. "I helped get her settled. That's what took me so long."

"Oh, okay." Julie stifled a yawn. She could barely keep her eyes open as sleep washed over her. Angel kissed her forehead when she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Sleep, baby." Angel whispered over and over again in a low soothing voice. They got on the elevator just as Julie drifted off.

* * *

Buffy slowly opened her eyes, and that's when it hit her. The pain washed over her in waves. It wasn't as sharp as she remembered, but it was still a severe throb. She tried to list her head, but her headache pounded her back down. She thought back to what had caused her pain, and felt pride swell in her wounded chest. Those twisted vampires had tried to break her to get information about the Eye of Eden, and Buffy had managed to keep her mouth shut.

"Hey, you're awake." Willow spoke softly. The room was too quiet, and she didn't want to alert the nurses just yet. Willow moved carefully to sit on the edge of the hospital bed. "How do you feel?"

"Like a sumo wrestler is sitting on my chest." Buffy's explanation brought a smile to both the women's faces. It wasn't long lived, though, as both turned serious. "How long have i been out?"

"Three days." Willow told her honestly. She felt tears begin to burn in the back of her eyes, and a sob caught in her throat. "We were all worried about you."

"Oh my God, three days." Buffy gasped. "How's Spike? What about Dawn?"

"They're both fine, just worried about you." Willow insisted, trying hard to keep Buffy calm and relaxed. "You'd be dead if it weren't for Julie."

"What do you mean?" Buffy frowned. What could Julie have possibly done for her? It wasn't like she was a sorceress or something. "What did Julie do?"

"She used the last of her power, and gave you her blood." Willow explained in the simplest words she could think of. "She gave you your life back, and she has been in a coma ever since because of it."

"What do you mean?" Buffy's head was pounding harder than ever before, making it harder for her to concentrate enough to listen to Willow.

"She dies when you die." Willow shrugged. That seemed to get through Buffy's pain enough for her to understand. Willow moved off the bed slowly. "I'll go tell the others that you are awake now."

"Wait, Willow, is Julie going to be alright?" Buffy was desperate to know. Julie couldn't die, not now when they needed her the most.

"I'm sure that now you are okay, she will be just fine." Willow tried to sound reassuring. Buffy nodded, and relaxed back into her pillow "I'll go get Spike for you."

Buffy waited for her boyfriend to show up before she let her tears fall. She hadn't even realized just how much she wanted cry until then. Spike gently wrapped her up in his arms, careful not to disturb any of the tubes or wires hooked up to her. She clung to him as best as her weak body could, and sobbed her eyes out.

"What's the matter, baby?" Spike finally asked once the sobs had stopped and the shaking subsided. Buffy looked up at him, relieved to just be able to see his face once again. "What is it?"

"I'm just so happy to see you." Buffy felt a lump catch in her throat. She raised her stiff arms to lightly touch and stroke Spike's face. He kissed her fingertips when she ran them over his lips, causing her to smile.

"I love you, pet." Spike kissed her forehead lightly. He gently laid her back down on the hospital bed. "Just rest now, my love."

"But I don't want to rest anymore. I feel fine." Buffy insisted, trying to sit up again. Spike held a hand to her shoulder, stopping her. "Spike."

"Slayer." Spike said in a warning tone. Buffy pouted, and for once her was immune to it. He knew what was best for her, and that overpowered the urge to give her whatever she wanted. His phone went off in his pocket.

"Who is it?" Buffy asked curiously as Spike rushed to get his phone out and answer it.

"Angel, what's up?" Spike turned slightly away from Buffy so she couldn't see the panic on his face. "She's up? That's good, so is Buffy...You're coming here? Okay, see you soon."

"Julie's awake." Buffy was relieved that her other half was safe.

"Yeah, thank the Gods." Spike tucked his phone away, turning back to Buffy. "As much as I don't like her, I'm very glad that she turned up here when she did."

"But you're still worried about what she is." Buffy could read him like a book. She laced her fingers with his, giving his hand a squeeze. "Don't worry. She'll tell us soon enough. She promised that she would, and it must be really hard for her to go back on her word."

"I suppose so." Spike nodded in an accepting but still sort of doubtful way. He would just have to wait and see. He owed her big time for saving Buffy's life, so he wouldn't jump to conclusions right away... or at least he would try not to. "It's understandable that she hasn't told us yet, what with everything that has happened recently."

"Exactly. Just give it time." Buffy kissed Spike's hand as she snuggled down to have a quick power nap before Angel and Julie showed up.

* * *

"Sh, we should let her sleep. She needs all the rest she can get." Julie said when Dawn suggested waking Buffy up. The Scooby gang had all gathered in the small hospital room to welcome Buffy back to the land of the living.

"She's been asleep for three days solid." Dawn complained. She just wanted to see her sister awake. She thought it was unfair that both Willow _and_ Spike got to see the Slayer before she did.

"That doesn't really count, considering it wasn't really sleep as much as it was a coma." Giles said matter-of-factly. Like always he was polishing his glasses, anxious for his Slayer to wake up.

"You guys realize that she can hear us, right?" Julie was the first to notice that Buffy was waking up. She rolled her eyes when they all immediately stopped talking and stared at the Slayer. She leaned her head back against Angel's stomach, who stood behind the chair she was sitting in.

"Hey everyone." Buffy greeted sleepily. This time when she attempted to sit up, Spike didn't stop her. Instead he placed more pillows behind her to prop her up better. Buffy looked around the room at all the relieved faces, her eyes finally landing on Julie. The Slayer and Anti-Slayer stared at one another for a long moment in silence. Unspoken words of gratitude passed between them, both just happy the other was safe.

"Don't ever worry me like that again." Julie told Buffy in a completely joking tone, breaking the precious moment that had just shared. Moments like that made her uncomfortable; it was against her nature to act sentimental. "You almost killed me, and I kind of like my life."

"I'm sorry." Buffy looked down at her hands, truly upset about the panic and anxiety she must have put her friends and family through. Julie, with a lot of help from Angel, got up and moved to sit on the bed.

"What happened out there isn't your fault Buffy." Julie touched Buffy's clammy hands, drawing Buffy's attention to her. Buffy's forehead crinkled in confusion. "It was my fault for not warning you more about the power of the Eye. It makes demons go crazy, especially those without souls or a conscience. I should have told you more so you could better guard yourself."

"The important thing is that you are both safe now." Giles stepped in; interrupting another moment the two women were sharing. Buffy looked up at her Watcher, and nodded.

"I need to get out of this hospital." Buffy wrinkled her nose in disgust as she looked around the room and down at her gown. "The sooner, the better."

"We're working on that." Julie started to get up by herself, but Angel was quickly by her side to help her back to her chair. Buffy looked at her questioningly, and Julie smiled as the questions rolled out of Buffy's mind and easily into her's. "I've erased the records and charts of what really happened and what you really have wrong with you, and replaced it with some ailment that is a little simpler to deal with. I also put the thought in the doctor's head that you should be released tomorrow morning. So if all goes accordingly you should be on your way home in less than 12 hours."

"You're bad." Buffy laughed. Julie made this plan seem so simple, but the Slayer knew it would've been hard to execute if it were anyone else but Julie doing it.

"Well, yeah. That's kind of what I'm about." Julie chuckled along with Buffy. At least no one was seriously worried about her sin level. At least they understood.

"So where is the Eye?" Xander asked. He didn't want it near Buffy when she was in such a weakened state.

"It never leaves me, sorry Xander." Julie pulled out the ring from under her shirt. It hung on a long chain between a cross and a pentagram. 'Don't worry, though. I had Willow and Tara put a protection spell on this room."

"We set it up after Julie and Angel left." Willow confirmed when Xander looked at her and Tara. "It seems to have worked, seeing as she hasn't been attacked. Those vampires haven't come back to finish off the job."

"That's because we handled it." Spike chose that moment to speak up. Everyone turned to him with interest. The same question was on all their minds: who's we? "Angel and I took care of it."

"What do you mean?" Julie asked, turning to Angel. She was sad that the magic of her blood had worn off, and she was no longer bound to Angel. She _had_ to respect his privacy now.

"Spike and I tracked down the vampires, and took care of them." Angel admitted, not looking Julie in the eye. Julie reached for his hand to tug him closer to her chair. She wrapped her arms around his waist as a thank you. This gesture came as a shock to the others, who were used to the guarded, tough, spunky Aussie who had a no-nonsense attitude toward everything.

"We beat information out of them, and found out that they were working for Valhalla." Spike continued on, mostly talking to Giles. This, however, caught the attention of everyone, and Julie pulled away from Angel to listen.

"Is he on his way here?" Julie felt an unfamiliar feeling grip at her heart, and a certain tightening in her chest. Unconsciously, she frowned at these odd feelings, having never felt them before.

"Are you okay?" Angel asked quietly so no one else could hear. He squatted next to her chair to get a better look at her face.

"Yeah, just feel a little weird is all." Julie waved away his concern, though she was beginning to feel concerned herself. She pasted on a smile for Angel's sake, to prove to him that she was okay.

"No, he's not coming to Sunnydale, but he did send these vampires to search for the Slayer." Spike informed them all. "My guess is that Valhalla thinks Buffy knows about the Eye of Eden and its location."

"He knows I have it." Julie told them, opening her eyes slowly as if coming out of a trance. "But he doesn't know where I am. That's why these vampires were sent after Buffy."

"How do you know all that?" Spike raised a scarred, sceptical eyebrow. Julie was doing weird things again, just when he was starting to get used to all her wackiness.

"It's hard to explain, but trust me, Valhalla is looking for me." Julie looked up at Angel. "Which means we have to hurry, and destroy the ring before he figures out where I am."

"I already talked to Alvera; as soon as Buffy is out of here, she will perform the spell." Angel told Julie, who couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness. 'Let's just hope it doesn't take me too long to recover."

"Yeah, and unfortunately I can't do anything to speed up the recovery, either." Julie sighed. She gestured for Angel to help her up. "It's time for me to head back to bed. We have a bust day ahead of us."

Everyone said good night, and Julie left the room with Angel firmly by her side, supporting most of her weight. She didn't want to admit it, but she was happy for the help. Never before had she depended **so** fully on one person, and she had to say that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

"Julie, Angel, wait up!" Spike called down the hall to them as he rushed to catch up. Julie glanced around, trying to find anyone who might have heard, before she and Angel turned to face the younger vampire.

"Did we forget something?" Julie patted her pockets, trying to figure out what she had left behind. Her hand went to her neck quickly, and felt the ring under her shirt.

"No, no, but I did forget to talk to you about something." Spike drew both their attention back to him. "I've decided to have the curse done to me as well."

"What? Why?" Julie had a hard time comprehending Spike's decision. From all that she had learned about Spike from books and other people, it was her understanding that he took great pride in his demon. "Are you sure?"

"I know that you already have Angel to destroy the ring, but I really think that I should do this." Spike seemed very set in his ways, which shocked both Angel and Julie.

"Now really isn't the time or place to be talking about this, Spike." Angel told the blonde vampire. He could feel just how weak Julie was, and knew that she needed to be in a bed right now. "Too many people can hear. We'll talk about it tomorrow at Buffy's house when she gets home."

"Right. There could be more vamps lurking about.' Julie added. She was practically asleep on her feet, and if this conversation lasted much longer she would be. "See you tomorrow, Spike."

"Good night." Spike could take a hint, especially when it was an obvious one. He walked them out of the hospital, needing to have a cigarette. It had been days since he had had one, and now that things looked to be calming down for the moment, he could finally take a ten minute break and indulge a little.

**Author's Note: **Please review. I would like to know how I am doing so far.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"I just don't see why we need two vampires to turn human. I thought that passage said that only one sinless human was needed." Dawn was not happy to learn about Spike's decision, and she was making that perfectly clear.

Buffy had come home to a full house. All the Scoobies were there, gathered to talk through any confusion anyone might have with what has gone on. Alvera was out gathering together all the things she would need for the spell. Spike had insisted on Buffy sitting down, while she complained of being restless; they argued about it for a long while. On top of that, there was a list being made on a message pad of all the questions that they felt needed to be answered. Though there were a few ridiculous ones, most were reasonable.

"We don't need two, but Buffy and I thought we should give Spike the option just in case." Julie explained to Dawn for what felt like the hundredth time. After everyone had gathered in the living room, Spike thought it best to open with what he had decided. Julie hoped that he was beginning to regret his choice in timing. "And though we don't need two, having Spike as a human will give us a fall back plan."

"In case of what? Angel isn't pure enough?" Xander tossed out there. Julie glared at him for a second, which stopped him from going further. No one wanted to upset Julie too much.

"Unfortunately, yes." Julie was forced to admit by her own curse. She wished—not for the first time—that she could lie just once. "And I know, Xander, that there is nothing in Spike's history that says he will be pure enough, but if you think about it, Spike is special."

"How so?" Giles seemed interested to hear Julie's theory. _Special_ has several different variations of the meaning, and Julie's theory could be based on any one of those meanings. It would be interesting to hear which one she used.

"Spike is very different from your average vampire." Julie turned to face mostly Giles. She stood in front of the fireplace—the only one not sitting—with everyone panned out in a semi-circle before her. "He was capable of without a soul. And I'm not talking about Drusilla, because everyone knows that vampires usually pick a mate from within their own demonic race. I mean Buffy. He loved her when he didn't have a soul, and, to top that off, he got his soul _because_ of her—for her. In my books, that makes him pretty damn special."

"That's all well and good, but what does that have to do with him becoming human?" Xander rolled his eyes. Everyone knew he didn't like Spike, but he _really_ didn't like him when people tried to make him sound like a saint when he didn't have a soul.

"Well, if he was capable of love, a very un-vampire-like emotion, then he has a good chance of being pure and good as a human." Julie glared once more at Xander for his hateful thoughts. There was something going on with Xander, and she was determined to find out what. She just wished she had the time to do it. "Need I remind you that it is their decision whether or not they become humans?"

"Believe me, if Julie couldn't talk Angel out of it, then how much of a chance do you think we have of doing the same with Spike?" Buffy pointed out when Julie paused. Dawn 

opened her mouth to speak, but Buffy silenced her. "Let them do what they want, Dawn. It's not for us to decide."

"I still think it's dumb." Dawn crossed her arms, and leaned back into her chair. Everyone stared at her as though at a loss of words before Willow brought their attention back to focus.

"Should we start on the list?" She suggested, trying to change the subject to something a little more productive. In her lap sat a daunting pile of scrap paper that Julie knew to be the list of questions.

"Might as well, seeing as the list is huge." Julie sighed. She could already tell that she was going to hate the next several hours. "What's the first question?"

"Can the curse be reversed?" Willow read off, getting her pen ready to scratch out the question once it was answered.

"No, it can't." Julie told them as all eyes turned to her. "No, Spike, you can't get a vampire to turn you again if you don't like being a human. Angel and I talked to Alvera about that, and this spell turns your blood toxic. If a vampire was to bite you, it would turn to dust. This is a permanent thing."

"Are you still sure you want to do this?" Dawn asked hopefully. She really didn't want Spike to become human. Part of why she loved him was because he was a vampire. The demon was the difference between William and Spike.

"He'll still be the same Spike." Julie was looking right at her knowingly, and Dawn knew that Julie had heard her thoughts. This only seemed to piss the teen off more.

"You can't know that! You don't know everything, _Julie_!" Dawn stood up all flustered. She didn't want to sit there and be analyzed—violated—the entire time. "Stay out of my mind!"

Julie was across the room in a flash, her eyes changing colour to a muddy red. Dawn sat down under the pressure the Anti-Slayer was putting on her. Julie put her hands on the armrests on either side of Dawn to keep her in the chair. She bent down to look the teen right in the eye, her pupils lighting up a crimson red.

"I don't claim to know everything, and I never have. But let's get something straight, Dawn." Julie's voice was threateningly low, and her eyes blazed with anger. "I didn't have to go inside your head to know how you feel, because, contrary to what you think, you are not the only one in this room worried about losing the person they love. So get over yourself or _get out_.

"Oh, and by the way, if I was in your head, you would have felt it." Julie hissed before straightening. She stepped back from a frightened Dawn, breathing deeply. Slowly, she began to calm, and she finally took a seat next to Angel.

"Okay... that actually brings us to the next question." Willow ventured on, consulting the list. Julie looked up expectantly through half-closed eyes. She wanted the witch to say it out loud. "What are you or what happens that makes you go like that?"

"I'm not a demon." Julie told them simply as though that's what they had asked. She waited a long moment before continuing, making the others think that she was done. "I am, 

however, from Hell. My entity is made up of pure sin. I act like a demon without actually being a demon."

"That doesn't exactly explain fully about the flare ups." Tara pointed out during another long pause. She was more than a little nervous about saying that, but she couldn't let the opportunity slip by.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a question on your list about how we will get Angel into Hell?" Julie sounded as though she was changing the subject, but she ploughed on when Willow nodded. "Every time I flare like that it's due to sin and the fact that I am Buffy's opposite. I can also be used as a gateway to Hell. I'm a direct link to Hell; as long as I stay generally calm I don't open anything. When I become angry, that linkage begins to open a connection to Hell."

"So what you are saying is that because of your short temper, you connect our two worlds?" Buffy looked at Julie in a mixture of petrified awe. Julie suddenly just took on a more powerful role in her life. "And you were going to use that to get Angel into Hell?"

"And guide him for the first little bit, but I can only go so far." Julie told them. She couldn't explain what she was in simpler terms unless she was just to call herself a demon. The Scooby gang would just have to take it. "Next question, please."

"How did you end up in Tibet?" Willow frowned as she read one of the more irrelevant questions. Couldn't any of them stay on topic for more than a few minutes, but as she scanned down the list she found out that they couldn't.

"Well after coming out of the Hellmouth near Ayers Rock in Australia, I didn't know where to go so I hopped on the first boat out of Sydney, and, through a huge chain of events including a small amount of jail time, I ended up at a Buddhist monastery." Julie shrugged. This was by far an easier question for her to answer. "The monks taught me a lot, and I learned all about myself and my existence while I was there."

"Didn't they have a problem with what you do, and all that?" Dawn was interested. Julie's travel experience actually seemed to fascinate her, but that was about as far as her like of Julie went.

"We established early on that what they don't know won't hurt them. They learned that if they don't ask questions, they won't get answers they don't like." Julie smiled to herself at the memory of the Buddhist monks who had taught her so much about everything. "There's more questions about me, isn't there?"

"Where do you get your money from?" Willow asked while consulting the list. She quickly went down the list and put a star beside all the questions that were about Julie personally.

"At the monastery they have a collection box for donations." Julie began, but paused to raise an eyebrow Spike's way. "No, Spike, I did not steal from the donation box. The monks, in turn, donate 75 if not all of the donations to me. I've tried to stop them, but they have it in their heads that since I protect the world that giving me money and a place to stay is the least they can do."

"So they give you money to fund your globetrotting?" Xander nodded approvingly. To him, that sounded like the right way to do things.

"You get paid to be the Slayer?" Buffy openly gaped at Julie. Why couldn't things be like that for her? Sure her high school graduating class had recognized her talents, but no one ever paid her for what she did. She had to have jobs like the Doublemeat Palace...gross.

"Anti-Slayer, but yes, I do." Julie corrected. "But I would rather the monks not give their money to me. I couldn't lie to them about what I am, so then they decided they wanted to help. I'm a selfish person, and could only protest for so long."

"Doesn't that go against what a Slayer stands for?" Dawn asked, turning to Giles. Over the years she had learned a great deal about slaying, and one of the things was to keep it a secret. She didn't know if that was a rule or if it was just something to make Buffy's life a little harder.

"Well, given the circumstances and the fact that Julie isn't the Slayer, I think it is safe to say that no rules are broken." Giles thought for a minute before answering. He looked at Julie sternly. "Of course, I hope it is also safe to say that those monks won't be spreading the word."

"No, no, they understand that this needs to be kept quiet." Julie assured them all. She was just about ready to fall asleep, and she prayed that a nap wasn't required to gain back her energy after her loss of control.

"How and where do you do all your research? Like since you don't have a permanent home, how do you get the required research done?" Willow clarified. This was her own question, and she was very interested to learn the answer to it.

"At the monastery, the basement was converted into a library." Julie told the red headed witch. "I spend a month on each Hellmouth—except this one—and at the end I usually head back to Tibet for a week. However, if something comes up during my month away, I'll go back to Tibet or a quick study session. Otherwise I spend my free weeks at the monastery reading about all sorts of rituals and events that have happened and can happen in the demon world."

"Sounds hectic." Willow commented. All that running around, sometimes across whole continents, did not sound appealing. The thought of spending hours on end in a library, however, piqued her interest.

"I really think you would love it there." Julie smiled warmly at Willow when she heard the wiccan's thoughts. "The library has every sort of books, and you can read and research to your heart's content easily. You should visit sometime."

"Maybe I will." Willow sounded thoughtful, her imagination running away with her, taking her on a tour of the library—the image of it planted there by Julie. Xander cleared his throat, tearing Willow away from all the leather-bound books. "Oh, right, sorry. Are you in a borrowed body?"

"Umm...yeah...kind of." Julie scrunched up her face in deep thought. She wasn't quite sure how to answer without either causing herself pain or confusing them even more. "When Buffy's soul split, and I didn't return to her body, I was left without a body. But that question makes it sound like there are bodies just lying around to be used."

"Isn't there?" Anya asked bluntly. "I mean all the graveyards in Sunnydale are full, and I'm sure there are thousands of more like them. Aren't those bodies kind of lying around?"

"In simply terms yes, but, Anya, you of all people should know that nothing ever is that simple." Julie spoke calmly as though she was speaking to a child. "My body is that of a person who has been in Hell for thousands of years. Modified, of course, but still the same. I didn't pick it, and it is now mine. So no I'm not borrowing this body, but it once belonged to someone else... if that makes any sense."

"Don't worry. It does." Willow assured the Anti-Slayer. "Where are the other Hellmouths?"

"There is the one in Chicago as you know." Julie began to list them off on her fingers. "Greece, Australia, Chile, Japan, Zimbabwe, and this one of course."

"Wow, so you do a lot of travelling then." Tara's jaw dropped. She couldn't imagine doing all that moving around. It seemed a little crazy to her to just spend one month at each Hellmouth; it didn't seem nearly long enough somehow.

"If I stay for more than a month, it would be too long. I can't afford to stay on one Hellmouth for a long period of time." Julie responded to Tara's thoughts, catching the shy Wiccan off guard. "There is always another problem pulling me away to some other Hellmouth."

"How do you know Valhalla is after you?" Willow changed the subject, catching on to her girlfriend's discomfort. "At the hospital you did something that let you know. What was that?"

"I put a very intricate and very undetectable spell on Valhalla so I could stay connected to him, and be able to read his thoughts no matter where I am." Julie explained. Both Willow and Tara perked up at the mention of witchcraft. "It's a highly specialized tagging spell. In your books, you wouldn't find it. You would find a basic tagging sell, and _maybe_ the mention of a way to specialize it, but it took me forever and five continents to come across how to actually do that."

"So you have powers too?" Willow never realized how much in common she and Julie had with each other. Julie nodded, smiling amiably with the redhead.

"Wait. You said Valhalla is looking for you, right?" Dawn cut through Willow's thoughts. Everyone turned to her as she waited for Julie nod. "Won't he still come after you even after the Eye is gone? Should we be preparing ourselves for a war with a demon lord?"

"I can't tell you that." Julie shrugged apologetically at the teen. It was the answer none of them wanted to hear, but Julie had to tell them. She hurried on to soften the blow. "He wouldn't have a reason to attack us if the ring was destroyed. There is a slight chance, however, that he will want revenge on those who have taken away his chance for freedom. Of course, he wouldn't have to know of your involvement in all this. He doesn't know about all you, and, thanks to Buffy, he probably won't even suspect you anymore because even under torture she didn't say anything."

"Actually, it's a known fact that torture gets you nowhere." Dawn interrupted. "When you torture someone, they will just tell you the answer you want to hear just to stop the pain. Even if it's wrong."

"They would have to know the answer, though, to be able to tell the captors what they want to hear, wrong or not." Spike pointed out the flaw in Dawn's theory. "But I think what Julie is trying to say is that she is willing to sacrifice herself to Valhalla to save all of us."

"But she can't die, so how is she going to sacrifice herself?" Dawn rolled her eyes. It seemed to her that everyone kept forgetting that Julie was in no danger unless Buffy was near death.

"There are worse things than death, Dawn." Angel spoke up, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He looked at Dawn with pain-filled eyes. "A century in a hell dimension where you can't die and are tortured in the worst ways day in and day out is worse than dying."

"And hopefully Dawn will never have to find out the hard way." Julie slipped her hand into Angel's to give it a supportive squeeze. Her eyes locked with Angel's, and held them for a few moments. She hated the look of pain in his dark eyes and the fear pouring off of him at the thought of that unimaginable place. She kissed his knuckles quickly before requesting. "Can we move on please?"

"Uh, sure." Willow was unsure if they should give the couple some alone time to work things out. Angel was obviously upset about something, and Julie seemed to be the only one able to keep him grounded. Julie tore her eyes away from angel to give her an expectant look. "Should we alert anyone else about this?"

"What about Faith?" Buffy suggested, looking around the room. Her eyes landed on her Watcher. "Do we even know where she is right now?"

"Her last postcard was from Tokyo." Giles shook his head, though. "But that was weeks ago, and she was talking about moving on soon."

"Faith's another slayer?" Julie asked for clarification. She was trying very hard to keep out of everyone's minds, but it was becoming increasingly difficult; it was as though they wanted their thoughts heard.

"Yes, but she travels a lot to different cities all the time. It's impossible to get a hold of her." Buffy sighed heavily as she explained. Faith was a wild card that's for sure.

"Have you ever thought of doing a locator spell?" Julie suggested, looking at Tara and Willow. "I mean, you have two very capable Wiccans on your team. The spell isn't that hard to do."

"She's right. Locator spells are easy, especially in comparison to almost destroying the world." Willow joked darkly, referring to the days after Oz's murder. Tara slipped her hand into Willow's to offer her support. "Tara and I would have no problem doing one for you if you wanted to find Faith."

"Well... I do think she should know about this. She is a Slayer after all." Buffy nodded to the two witches, giving them the go ahead they desperately wanted. It didn't take a mind reader to know that these two loved doing magic.

"Excellent. That takes care of that." Willow cheerfully crossed out that question. "Why do you think we've never heard about the Eye of Eden before?"

"Well, actually we have." Giles cleared his throat. All the Scoobies excluding Spike and Angel looked at the Watcher curiously. "The Eye is mentioned in several of our books, just never in full depth. Don't forget that we've never had a reason to research it before now, so that could also be a part of it."

"Did you two know about it?" Dawn asked Angel and Spike. They hadn't said anything about it yet.

"Most vampires—especially ones who have been around as long as we have—have heard about it, but the ring was always shroud in mystery." Angel told them. "Mostly it was thought to be a myth."

"Peaches is right. Dru always mumbled about it, but that was only when she was in her most insane moments. No really paid attention to her then." Spike agreed with his sire even though he did earn himself a low growl from the older vampire for the name he had given Angel.

"How is this ring actually destroyed?" Anya asked. For once her thoughts weren't on her economic gain in the whole matter. "I mean, if the thing is supposed to be a myth then how does anyone know how to get rid of it? Wouldn't that also be a myth?"

"That is where this all gets more complicated." Julie stood up, moving in front of the fireplace once again so she could address them all easier. "Once Angel is in Hell I will guide him, but I can only go as far as the Pool of Souls. That is as far in as I am allowed to go as stated by the Devil himself. After that he is on his own."

"There are plenty of myths surrounding the destruction of the Eye, but there is one place mentioned in most of the stories—in all the more credible legends." Angel spoke up when Julie paused to glance at him. "The Altar of Christ."

"It is said to be the place where Jesus Christ landed upon entering Hell when he died for our sins." Julie took it from there before everyone could begin to question Angel about it. "Satan had an altar built to prove that there is flaw in everything."

"Whoa! Wait a minute. Didn't Jesus sacrifice himself for us?" Tara held up her hand to stop Julie from going into further explanation. "How is that faulty?"

"In the Devil's mind it is, because we still sin every day." Julie waved her hand down her body to show that she was proof of that. "In Lucifer's eyes there was no point to the sacrifice. Our sins can be forgiven, but that doesn't mean we don't commit them."

"So Angel has to find this altar?" Buffy moved on quickly. She could tell Julie was uncomfortable saying those things. Buffy understood that the Anti-Slayer was just trying to explain things in the simplest and best terms possible, not trying to offend anyone.

"Yes, and then freeze the ring on the altar." Julie waited a few minutes to let the magnitude of that statement set in. It took the Scoobies a couple of minutes to figure out what was so difficult about that.

"Are you trying to say that Angel has to freeze something in _the_ hottest place on earth?" Xander was the first to voice the problem. That's when everyone else caught on fully to it. 

"That's impossible. It can't be done. They have the saying 'when Hell freezes over' for a reason."

"Xander, calm down. I'm sure there is a way." Willow spoke in a calm voice, but her heart and thoughts said she was anything but.

"Actually, at this point, there isn't." Angel told everyone to their dismay. He and Julie had talked about it, and decided that since so far Julie had been the bearer of bad news that Angel would take this one.

"That isn't to say that we are not trying ridiculously hard to find a way." Julie told them as she felt disappointment and despair wash over them. "The Tibetan monks are working on it, and so is the team over at Angel Investigations."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? We could've been helping with the research." Giles frowned at Julie. He didn't like the way this woman withheld things from the group.

"We had more important things to worry about at the time." Julie glared at the Watcher menacingly, jumping to defend herself upon hearing Giles' thoughts. "And if you hadn't noticed, I was unconscious for the past three days."

"Whoa! What's going on here?" Buffy looked between Julie and Giles, ready to jump into action should the need arise. It was obvious that Julie had overheard her Watcher's thoughts, and wasn't at all happy with what she heard.

"Perhaps people should stay out of other people's minds." Giles said rather childishly, looking pointedly at Julie. "It's rude."

"Duh, that's who I am." Julie rolled her eyes. She had no idea what had gotten into Giles, but it was in _her_ nature to act like this. "But maybe you shouldn't practically shout your thoughts at me."

"Julie." Spike's voice drew Julie's attention to him. He looked her directly in the eyes, inviting her into his head.

Julie couldn't resist an open mind, and delved right in. She was shocked to see Spike's thoughts were all based on her love for Angel. And all of them were happy and cheerful thoughts. A smirk found its way to her lips as she realized what he was doing. Julie had picked up on an emotion tone, and was causing everyone to react to it. Spike was trying—and succeeding—to distract her.

"Thank you." Julie whispered when she exited his thoughts. Spike nodded understandingly. Xander cleared his throat, bringing Julie back to the present. "Sorry about that. Um, what question are we on now?"

"Only two left." Willow glanced down at her pile of questions. She seemed very happy about the fact that the list was down to only two questions. "Do you think it's wise to send Angel into Hell alone? Especially since we don't know how long it will take for him to find the Altar of Christ or what he will come up against."

"That's more a question for him. I can't really say if he will need someone else down there with him." Julie ignored Giles' insistent thoughts regarding research. She went and sat down next to her boyfriend. "What do you think?"

"Well, it couldn't hurt to have someone to watch my back." Angel shrugged. He hadn't really had time to think about the troubles he would face other than destroying the Eye of Eden. "But who could go with me?"

"Just one of our many problems." Buffy bit her lip in thought. The more she learned about this whole ordeal, the more she was beginning to see that she was very naive when she first heard about the Eye. Julie got up again, and began to pace in front of fireplace.

"I'll go with him." Spike sighed deeply in defeat. He wouldn't meet Buffy's shocked eyes as he spoke, but he could tell that she wanted badly to protest. "I mean, Peaches will clearly get himself into trouble down there all alone. _And_ it looks like I'm the only other person who can join him."

"To Hell with that idea!" Buffy burst out, not realizing what her words meant. She jumped up to stand beside Julie, who had paused in her pacing. The Slayer had her hands on her hips and a deadly glare on her face. "There is _no way_ I'm letting you go down there."

"Make up your bloody mind, woman." Spike stood up to face off with his Slayer. "First you want me to go in Angel's place, second I'm the back up, and now I'm not even allowed to go? Do you even notice what you are saying half the time?"

"Buffy, maybe you should take a seat." Giles tried to step between the two blondes. Buffy shot him a menacing look, rooting him to place. "At least try to see the good side of all this."

"You don't understand Giles." Buffy looked once more at Spike before turning to her Watcher, her features softening. Tears threatened to spill from her glistening eyes as she silently begged Giles to understand. "I lost him once, and now that he is back and things are finally right between us, I don't want to lose him again. I _can't_ lose him again."

"Is that what this is about?" Spike asked gently; quietly. Buffy slowly turned back to face her lover. It was then that she let a tear escape from her eyes. Spike reached out to brush it away with his thumb. "Buffy, you know that no matter what I do or what happens to me, I will _always_ come back to you."

There was a long pause as the two lovers just stared at each other, caught up in the moment. It was starting to make the others uncomfortable for witnessing an obviously touching moment. The only one who didn't seem overly affected by it was Julie. She was busy looking over at Angel. She loved him, but she wondered why she didn't feel concerned about him going into the Devil's domain. Angel looked at her then, offering her a half-smile—a heart-melting smile.

_I love you so much_. He thought, knowing that she heard it. His smile brightened when she sent the words right back at him without a single hint of hesitation. She went and sat beside him, slipping her hand into his.

"Would now be a bad time to remind everyone that when Angel and Spike become human that they will be immortal?" Anya couldn't hold it in any longer. She was slightly proud of herself for remembering. "When Angel goes into Hell, he won't be able to die."

"Unless he is decapitated, or something to that effect." Julie added before people got the wrong idea about the curse. "But that doesn't mean that that is the only way for a person to die down there, so they would be pretty safe."

"Then why are we having this discussion? If Angel can't get hurt, then why would Spike have to go with him?" Dawn asked, rolling her eyes.

"Because any setback that can be avoided should be." Julie was so close to being fed up with Dawn. "Angel is on a time limit. Though my powers don't seem it, they are limited, and I can't hold the gate open forever. If it closes, and Angel is still down there, he will be stuck there until I can get it open again."

"How long would that be?" Willow glanced nervously at Angel sitting with Julie and Spike who had a comforting arm around Buffy's shoulders. It seemed to her that both vampires would be sorely missed by their girlfriends.

"Could be a few minutes, could be a few days. It's hard to say." Julie bit her lip; she didn't like not knowing something about herself. "The main concern with that is that time passes differently in other dimensions than here. Conner, Angel's son, is proof of that."

"How long do you think you can hold it open for?" Buffy didn't want either of the vampires stuck in Hell even if it was for only a few seconds. If she could choose to, she wouldn't even be letting them go in the first place.

"A couple hours to say the least." Julie answered automatically, but the paused to think about her answer. "No more than ten hours."

"Does that seem long enough for you guys?" Willow looked at Spike and Angel. "If it doesn't, then I can always lend Julie my power to keep it open longer. Do you think it will help?"

"It couldn't hurt to at least try, unless they are already out." Julie shrugged. She knew that Willow's power was strong enough to give her the boost she would need to keep the gate open two hours longer. She just wasn't sure if she should allow the Wiccan to drain herself when she would probably be needed. "I actually don't know if you should do that, though, Willow. I don't know what or even if anything is going to exit Hell, but I would rather us be ready for whatever may happen."

"Do you mean to say that demons might use the gate to escape from Hell?" Tara, for some reason, didn't seem all that shocked about it. She did, however, want to clarify it for everyone else. Julie was beginning to see how intuitive and loyal she was.

"I can't say for sure. But it is definitely a possibility." Julie nodded once, looking around the room to see how everyone felt about this new realization. "It can be expected, though. Many souls in Hell deny that they should be there, and will do anything to escape. When they come back through the gate, they are turned into demons _unless_ they are brought back by me."

"I'm sorry if this is backtracking a lot, but have you found anything at all that might freeze the ring?" Giles interrupted. He could no longer keep his mouth shut.

"We're working on it, Rupert." Angel answered for Julie. He could feel her anger rising at the question, and wanted to avoid another argument between the two. He set a calming hand 

on Julie's knee, which she covered with her own hand. "Illyria may have found something. When Julie drives Alvera back to LA after she does the spell, she's going to stop by the Hyperion to check on things for me."

"What? When did we discuss that?" Julie's head snapped up to look at Angel. She hadn't agreed to anything along those lines. "I already told you that I'm not leaving your side while you recover, so you can forget about this idea of yours."

"Julie..." Angel sighed. He kissed her temple, but only pulled back enough to whisper in her ear. "I'll be fine, and you know that it's better for you to drive Alvera to the airport than anyone else. I love that you are worried about me, but I'll probably be asleep for the first few days anyway. It'll also be better for the ring."

"When you put it that way..." Julie gave in. Deep down she knew Angel was right, and that she should listen to him, but a more basic instinct had taken over; something unfamiliar—a strong need to protect.

"I'll go with you if it'll make you feel better." Buffy offered, shocking everyone. She was the last person any of them expected to hear the offer come from. They all expected her to remain quiet about it so she could stay and watch over her lover. "I would like to be there when you talk to Illyria, that's all. I would never suggest leaving Spike for any other reason."

"No, Buffy, I would never ask you to come with me." Julie shook her head several times to get her point across. "I know how hard it is for me to be leaving Angel; I don't want you going through the same thing."

"Actually maybe it is a good idea for you both to be going." Angel found himself agreeing with Buffy, which really shocked both women. "That way both of you will be able to take a short break from the Hellmouth, because who knows when you'll get another chance."

"You just want someone to back you up on my 'horrible' driving." Julie successfully lightened the mood when she narrowed her eyes in mock anger at Angel. The vampire shrugged with a goofy smile on his face. Julie playfully gave him a tiny shove. "I knew it."

"If I was you, Buffy, I would be demanding to drive." Angel suggested to Buffy. Julie clamped a hand over his mouth before he could continue.

"I'm a perfectly good driver." Julie insisted. Angel rolled his eyes, wanting desperately to protest. "Okay, so maybe I speed a little, but at least I get us there in good time."

"Yeah, by cutting the travel time in half." Angel said when Julie pulled her had away in pain after Angel bit it with blunt teeth.

"That's all beside the point." Julie shot him one last quick glare before turning fully to face Buffy. "My driving will get us there safe and sound, _and_ we will have more time to talk to Illyria at Wolfram and Hart."

"You know I find it strange that people still call it Wolfram and Hart. Weren't they destroyed?" Dawn choose then to pipe in and change the subject. "Aren't you guys back at the Hyperion? Doesn't that mean you are back to being Angel Investigations?"

"To make it less confusing for our clients, my team and I decided to remain Wolfram and Hart, though some call it Angel Investigations again." Angel knew this would eventually come 

up. He knew it confused people, especially since the senior partners haven't been heard from since they fell. "You can call us either one. It doesn't really matter."

"How long did Alvera say it would take to do the spell?" Willow asked, her curiosity taking the subject in another direction yet again. She could see that Giles was physically frustrated with not getting a straight answer, but for once she didn't care all that much.

"Only a couple of minutes for the actual casting, but she said it would take her a few hours for the preparations." Julie told her. For some reason, a nervousness washed over her. She didn't know what it was about Alvera and this whole curse thing, but it left her feeling woozy. She knew it had to happen, and she knew it had been her idea, ut Alvera had been acting strange since landing in California. "If you don't mind, Willow and Tara, I would like you to watch over her to make sure she doesn't do anything funny. I want this to go off without a single hiccup."

"Are you starting to distrust the gypsy? Did you hear something none of us did?" Spike eyed Julie suspiciously. Her sudden doubt in Alvera's talents was no comfort to him.

"No, no, it's not that." Julie was quick to squash that idea. "She's had nothing but kind thoughts towards you all, but then again I think she is somehow blocking me from getting into her whole mind. It's like she is filtering out all the bad stuff, because she knows I can hear her."

"Does she know if you can even do that?" Xander asked. He knew they were trying to hide a lot of things from Alvera, he just wasn't sure what was a secret anymore.

"I didn't tell her, but that doesn't mean she doesn't know." Julie went on to explain. "Like I told Dawn earlier, you can feel it when I go into your mind. You may not be aware of it, but subconsciously you do feel it. A person like Alvera is very aware of all the things going on in her body and surroundings. She would know if I was reading her thoughts or not."

"Which means we are all basing our trust on what could potentially be a bunch of lies." Giles threw his hands in the air, officially fed up with everything. "Is it even safe for her to be staying in this house, especially now that Buffy is weakened?"

"She's not evil, Giles. Honestly, do you have such little faith in me that I would let a questionable person into the house of someone I'm linked to?" Julie couldn't believe what she was hearing. After everything, they would still think of her as an outsider? "Her soul is intact, and she hasn't done anything more sinful than over charged on her wares."

"Besides after tonight, Alvera will be gone." Buffy pointed out. She didn't get why Giles was being so weird about it, she could handle herself in a fight. Plus she had Spike and two witches living with her. Willow and Tara had decided to move back for the next little bit while Spike recovered and Buffy was still weak.

"Wil, what's the last question?" Xander sighed. He didn't mean to change the subject, but he could tell Willow was itching to ask it. It was probably her question.

"What's going to happen after the Eye is destroyed?" Willow asked. She, apparently, wasn't the only one who wanted to know. There were several other scraps of paper with that question scribbled on it.

"I don't know. That depends on what you mean." Julie was taken aback by the question. She had been so bent on just destroying the ring that she never really thought beyond that point. 

She had to admit that earlier she had just figured that everything would go back to the way it was before, but that wasn't very logical considering all that had happened since she showed.

"Like what is going to happen to all of us?" Dawn clarified what she wanted the question to mean. "You'll obviously be leaving again to protect the other Hellmouths, but will you ever come back?"

"I have every reason to." Julie nodded, absentmindedly giving Angel's hand a comforting squeeze. "I mean, to disappear now after everything would be crazy. I can't leave with the same ease I had when I stayed away."

"So you'll be sticking around?" Tara sounded slightly hopeful, as though she was afraid to let herself hope for too much but was unable not to at least hope a little.

"Well I will still be traveling a lot, but I will definitely make this place one of my more visited stops." Julie's smile was bright as she met Tara's eyes. "That is if you want me to."

"Of course we do." This statement came unexpectedly from Dawn. All eyes turned curiously to her as she stared into Julie's eyes. An understanding of sisterhood passed between them, and when Dawn looked away in embarrassment Julie nodded.

"Then it's settled." Julie looked at the others. "As long as I'm wanted here, I'll stay."


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked for the hundredth time. Willow rolled her eyes, and shooed her into the front hallway to join the others. They all seemed reluctant to leave, but Tara and Willow were being very insistent. "What if she tried to pull something?"

"We can handle it, Buffy. You guys should go have fun. Don't worry about us." Willow opened the door for them, waving them through it as the group hesitantly gave in. "This will give us time to watch over everything she does, _and_ read the spell over. If she tries anything funny during the spell, we'll know."

"As much as I don't want to leave them alone with Alvera, they are making sense." Julie shrugged. There was no point in arguing with someone who was so set in her ways.

"But I feel bad going to the Bronze without you." Buffy whined. She hated that she was being forced to go out clubbing while her best friend stayed at home to work. Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist from behind. "It's not fair."

"I know, pet, but you and Willow can have a girly night out after you come back from LA." Spike whispered the suggestion in her ear. She seemed to perk up at that, and finally accepted that she was going out tonight.

"You guys go on ahead. I just want to make sure that my car's gas tank is full so Julie and Buffy don't have to fill it on their way to LA." Angel's excuse was lame, but everyone accepted it, knowing they would never get the real reason from him. Julie eyed him suspiciously, but set off with the others, determined to pick his brain the second he arrived at the Bronze.

The Bronze was packed full, but that was understandable considering it was a Friday night. Fortunately, though, there was a table free, which the Scoobies quickly snatched up. Julie looked around fascinated with hearing what everyone was thinking about. She relaxed back into her chair, getting comfortable before truly beginning to people watch.

"Isn't it overwhelming?" Buffy had to yell to be heard over the music. Julie snapped out of her concentration to turn a confused look at Buffy. "All the _voices_?"

"At first it was." Julie nodded, finally catching on to Buffy's meaning. "It was hard for me to be around groups of people larger than three people. But with time I learned to control it enough to be able to be around larger amounts of people."

"I found it hard." Buffy scanned the room, glad that she didn't have that power anymore. Julie nodded knowingly, but there was something else about the nod that made Buffy curious. "What?"

"Why do you think I am like this?" Julie couldn't help but laugh. "That day you could hear other's thoughts, from what I've learned about myself, influenced my abilities."

"No way." Buffy's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that one single day did so much for her future.

"There are other ways to sense a demon, but to read minds is a special gift I got from you." Julie knew that eventually the thought of how she sensed demons would come up, and she decided to just get that out of the way now.

Buffy was still in shock when Spike led her out on the dance floor, leaving Julie alone at the table. Dawn had run off to hang out with a few friends from high school, while Anya and Xander had disappeared to do only God knows what. Giles had gone back to his house to begin researching ways to destroy the Eye of Eden, though he promised to be back at Buffy's house for Alvera's spell.

Julie sat at the table, staring out over the mass of gyrating teens and young adults. She was completely immersed in one couple's minds who were thinking about the different people they wished to be dancing with instead of each other. They had gotten married at the young age of 21, and he had been having an affair since day one. Meanwhile she had waited until their first nanny for their child. The nanny was a guy, and he was apparently the man she loved even though he was also married.

Julie was too busy listening to their thoughts to feel him approach. Suddenly someone was tapping on her shoulder. She was on her feet quickly, spinning around to stare up into Angel's face. Without putting much thought into it, Julie jumped into Angel's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Miss me?" Angel grinned as he held her under the thighs to keep her up. Julie nodded as she wrapped her arms around Angel's neck.

"So are you going to tell me what really held you up?" Julie asked after kissing him a long time as a greeting. "Or am I going to have to go against my promise to you, and read your thoughts?"

"I wanted to talk to Giles." Angel sat down on a vacant chair at the table still holding Julie in his lap. Julie shifted to get more comfortable, waiting for her boyfriend to elaborate. "I didn't want him to be too angry with us for leaving them out of the loop for so long."

"So you went to apologize." Julie stated, feeling slightly put out that Angel hadn't told her so she could go along. "And you didn't think that maybe I should also be apologizing? I mean, after the way I acted at Buffy's house, I'm the one who needs to say sorry the most."

"I figured it would better if I did it, because I wasn't sure what you would pick up on and react to." Angel told her truthfully. After the way she subconsciously picked up on the anger at Buffy's house, Angel wasn't exactly sure how she would react, especially since he didn't know what Giles was feeling.

"I suppose you're right." Julie sighed, though she still felt terrible. "I should talk to him about all this privately, though. I don't want him to continue to have the wrong idea about me."

"I'm sure he would like that." Angel kissed Julie's temple just as Spike and Buffy returned to the table. "Do you think the world is ready for us to be human?"

"I know I'm not." Buffy said without realizing it. She snapped her mouth close and tried to act innocent as Spike slowly turned to her. He looked at her questioningly. Never before had she talked like that. "You have to admit that my life, and Julie's life, will be a lot different with you guys as humans."

"Not all for the worse." Julie quickly assured both vampires. "Life will just be different...changed. Then again my life is already changed by the fact that I am even dating."

"You never dated before?" Buffy looked at Julie as though she had two heads. She couldn't imagine doing that. Julie raised an eyebrow her way, pointing out that she had dated and that Buffy was a part of it. "I meant after you came back."

"No, I haven't dated since Riley." Julie shook her head as she thought back over the years. There had been men in her life, sure, but never any boyfriends. She didn't think she really had time for a boyfriend, but as fate would have it, she didn't really have a choice anymore. Angel was in her life now, and that was never going to change. "This whole steady boyfriend thing is new to me, but I think I'm ready to try it out."

"Oh yeah?" Angel raised his eyebrows teasingly at Julie. She turned to him beaming away.

"Definitely." Julie winked at him. She meant for her kiss to be a quick one, but when Angel ran his tongue temptingly along her bottom lip, she couldn't pull away. The kiss turned out to be long and passionate, leaving Julie panting heavily for air, a slight blush creeping on to her cheeks.

"Do you guys ever worry about what will happen after you're not vampires anymore?" Buffy asked quietly as she picked at the label of her Diet Pepsi. If they all didn't have some form of supernatural _hearing_, they wouldn't have heard her due to the pounding music.

"Of course, luv." Spike wrapped an arm around Buffy's shoulders, leaning over to kiss her temple. "You think I like the idea of being weak? Do you think I like the fact that I won't be able to protect the lil bit or even you if you ever needed it? I hate it with every drop of my being."

"Then why go through with this?" Buffy asked, finally working up enough courage to look Spike in the eyes.

"Because I don't deserve you if I don't." It was Spike's turn to look away. He hated admitting it, but the look in Buffy's eyes was breaking down his willpower.

"Don't you think that that is for me to decide?" Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing. After everything they had gone through to get to this point, he was choosing _now_ to become self-righteous? "I won't let you try that on me, Spike. Not now."

"This is just something I have to do, Buffy." Spike let out a tired sigh. He knew he was a few years late on bringing this up, and he knew that whatever he said to justify his reason would only upset her more. "Can we just leave it at that?"

"I suppose so." Buffy still sounded frustrated, and if this had been a few years back, she probably would've hit him. But mature Buffy didn't do that anymore...at least not as much. She may not like Spike's reasons for doing this, but it was his decision to make, so she'd leave it alone. It was just easy to forget that he had chosen to do this o his own free will.

"What did we miss?" Xander asked as he and Anya appeared out of the crowd to join the other two couples. Xander looked around at all the tense people. "Uh oh, what did Spike do this time?"

"Oi! Now why would you assume that it is my fault?" Spike asked, obviously offended.

"A high percentage of the time it is your fault for Buffy's anger."Anya pointed out as Xander pulled up a chair for each of them. "Although lately I have to admit that you are more to blame for her happiness than her anger."

"You'll be unsurprised to know that he _is_ the reason I'm upset right now." Buffy spoke up. She held up a hand to keep Xander quiet. "However, it is not entirely Spike's fault that I feel like this. It's this whole spell thing; it has me on edge."

"I think it has us all on edge." Angel patted Julie's knee as he spoke.

"But Julie doesn't seem worried at all." Xander pointed out. "She seems very accepting of all that could happen. What does she have to worry about?"

"Beyond the fact that I love Angel and would hate to see either him or Spike hurt, I have a whole lot to worry about, Xander Harris." Julie's voice carried well in the lull of the music, making it hard to miss her venomous tone. "It was my idea to do all this. It was my idea to bring Alvera to Sunnydale. It was my idea to get her to stay in Buffy's house. I'm the one who brought the ring to you in the first place. If anything goes wrong the blame is put on me, not you. If the shit hits the fan, I'm the one going down. So yeah, I think I have reason enough to worry about this."

"All I meant was that you didn't _seem_ worried." Xander covered up, backing down from a possible confrontation with Julie. Julie narrowed her eyes when she looked at him, obviously reading his thoughts.

"You're lucky." Julie wouldn't elaborate, but they were all sure that she was referring to Xander's thoughts. If his thoughts hadn't matched his spoken words, then there would be a very angry Anti-Slayer perched in Angel's lap.

"I just hope Willow and Tara don't find anything peculiar in thee spell." Buffy bit her lower lip as she snuggled into Spike's hold for more comfort.

"How good is Willow at Latin?" Julie asked, once again composed and seemingly unconcerned. Buffy shrugged, then frowned as she continued to worry. "Most, if not all, of the spell is in Latin."

"Are you any good at Latin?" Anya asked. She was genuinely curious, because most Wiccans only knew the basics, enough to get them through spells, but some didn't even understand what they were saying.

"I'm fluent in the language." Julie nodded with confidence. That was the one language she made sure she knew well. She knew the basics of a lot of languages, but Latin was her speciality.

"Maybe when we get back to the house, you should go over the spell then." Buffy suggested, hopeful that Julie would agree to do it. With each passing minute, she was becoming increasingly more distressed by the impending events.

"I was already planning to." Julie smiled warmly across the table at the Slayer. She could feel Buffy's fear, but knew there were very few things she could do to calm her nerves.

Julie suddenly caught wind of a certain train of thought. The mental voice sounded very familiar, but the person's identity remained hidden. She scrambled out of Angel's lap, spinning 

in a circle to try and pin point the mind. She could hear her friends' questions, but choose not to answer, becoming frustrated with herself for not being able to figure out who it was. An image broke free from the dark, and she was able to put a face to the voice, relaxing when she realized who it was.

"Conner's here." Julie told Angel when she turned to face a group of concerned faces. It was then that she realized how strangely she had just been acting.

"Conner?" Angel screwed up his ace in a mixture of shock and confusion. He stood up to look around the room for his son. "Why would he be here?"

"Apparently he didn't believe Wesley about you becoming human." Julie said casually as though she wasn't listening in on someone's private thoughts. A young man with a mop of brown hair appeared from the crowd, causing Julie's mood to brighten. "Conner! What are you doing here?"

"As if you don't already know." Conner said good naturedly as he and Julie hugged. Julie squeezed him tight as she laughed along with Angel's son.

"It's good to see you again." Julie said when she pulled back. She looked him over with a motherly-critical eye, pushing his shaggy hair out of his face. 'you're hair is longer, but I'll let that pass this time."

"Hey Conner." Angel greeted once Julie was done looking him over. Conner turned to his dad, stepping in to share a very brief hug with him. "What brings you into town?"

"Well, I had to come see you when I heard about what you are going to do." Conner sat down in the chair Julie had pulled up for him. "You do realize that you will be human, right? As in an oxygen breathing, sun loving, heart beating human."

"Yes, I know what I am getting myself into.' Angel nodded, coming to stand behind Julie's chair. He dropped his hands to rest on her shoulders, letting her know just how tense he was. She reached up and patted his hand.

"He's not just doing this for the fun of it, Conner. He is doing it to save this world." Julie told the boy. Angel's grip on her shoulders loosened as she spoke. "He and Spike are needed as humans, so we can stop bad things from happening."

"Yeah, I know. Gunn filled me in on the specifics." Conner nodded, rolling his eyes subtly. "I just can't believe you are going to do it. Do you honestly think that this is going to work? That all your past sins will be forgiven and forgotten?"

"Conner...don't do this." Buffy was close to begging with her former lover's child. She really didn't want either of the vampires to be convinced that this was a horrible idea.

"Hardly, but at least I am going to try." Angel ignored Buffy, focusing solely on Conner. "Conner, why are you here?"

"What's it to you whether Angel becomes human or not?" Julie asked in the pause following Angel's question. Somehow Conner was blocking her from his mind—a spell. Julie slipped from her chair, pulling away from Angel's soothing touch. Before Conner could react, Julie had her hands on either side of his head, her thumbs pressed to his temples.

Short scenes of Conner's life burst into her head behind closed eyelids. Julie skipped all those, delving deeper to find the answers to their questions. She slowed her hunt when she came across things that had happened in recent weeks. Glowing electric blue eyes flashed through her mind followed by a sharp pain in the centre of her forehead.

"Julie!" Angel wrapped his arms around his girlfriend as she collapsed. His eyes automatically went to her throat as her head lolled back. Though he could hear her heart beating strongly, it was more relaxing to _see_ the steady pulse along her neck. His head shot up to glare at Conner. "What did you do to her?"

"Oh not me." Conner smirked even as both Buffy and Spike grabbed hold of him to stop him from running off. Spike's hands tightened warningly on Conner's left arm.

"Valhalla." Julie mumbled in her half-conscious state. She continued to mumble, but not even Angel could hear what she was saying.

"How do you know Valhalla?" Buffy's grip became so tight that she could feel Conner's bones begin to protest under her hands. "I said, how do you know Valhalla?"

"Pet, I think should ease up on the vice grip." Spike suggested as Conner's face contorted in pain, pain that was clearly stopping him from answering. Once Buffy's grip loosened, Conner tried to bolt. Spike snapped his arm back, causing it to make an odd popping noise, leaving Conner to writhe in pain. "Where do you think you are going?"

"What'd you do that for?" Conner hissed in pain, clutching at his dislocated shoulder. Spike still held his arm, so he was unable to pop it back into its socket.

"You did that to yourself, mate." Spike wagged a finger at the boy. Everyone's attention turned to Angel as Julie started to wake up. "How is she?"

"She is fine." Julie gave her head a shake as she stood up straight. Angel kept an arm around her waist until the room stopped spinning. She looked over at Conner. "How long do we have, Conner?"

"You won't live through this one." Conner glared at Julie. She stepped out of Angel's embrace, slapping Conner hard across the face.

"Damn it! How long?" Julie yelled. Inside she was starting to panic. It didn't matter how long until Valhalla showed. If Angel and Spike weren't fully recovered by then, which they probably wouldn't be, it didn't matter when the demon lord showed up. There was nothing she could do.

Seizing him by the shoulders, ignoring his pain, Buffy glared at him long and hard. "I think you had better tell her what she wants to hear."

"Truth spell?" Xander suggested when Conner still remained silent. He glanced at Julie and Buffy, who both nodded, getting up to go get Dawn.

Everyone was quiet on the trek home from the Bronze. All of them were wrapped up in their own thoughts, many of which Julie had to struggle to stay out of. The news about Valhalla had hit them all hard, but none were as worried about it as Julie was. None of them had come face to face with the demon lord. He was the only thing she had gone up against and lost to, and she didn't want a repeat.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Angel's voice was laced with concern that touched Julie. She would never get used to it, but she loved it all the same. Everyone had continued into Buffy's house, leaving the couple alone on the porch.

"Physically, I am, for now." Julie danced around what she knew the real question was. Angel raised an eyebrow at her, stopping her dance mid-stride. "Valhalla is on his way here, and I don't know when he will be showing up."

"Can't you just use that connection you made with him to find out?" Angel asked, surprised that she hadn't used it already

"My powers are too sapped right now to do anything." Julie looked and sounded as though she was about to cry. Her powers were everything to her, and without them she was useless. Nothing. Angel pulled her to his body, kissing the top of her head.

"You just need rest, that's all." Angel murmured to after a string of soothing Gaelic words. He didn't know what else to do to comfort her. "It'll be alright."

"No, it won't. Valhalla did something to me when I looked into Conner's mind." Julie admitted. Angel tilted her head up so she was looking at him. Tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "I'm powerless, and he is coming for the Eye."

"Everything will be fine. Willow will do the truth spell, and we'll find out when Valhalla is going to show up." Angel tried to sound confident, but he knew he wasn't fooling Julie. "We'll beat him, Julie."

"If I can't, how do you expect to? Especially when you and Spike will be recovering humans?" Julie pointed out, losing the fight against her tears. She swiped at her cheeks harshly, trying to hide them from Angel.

"Let's go inside, and find out, first, how long we have. Okay?" Angel stilled her hands, kissing both of her palms. Julie nodded silently, allowing Angel to lead her into the house.

The living room was dimly lit, twelve candles were scattered strategically around the room. The centre of the room was completely clear, all the furniture had been moved to the perimeter. All evidence of their earlier meeting was gone, leaving enough room for the spell to be cast in.

Angel and Julie followed voices through the house, back to the kitchen. The whole Scooby gang had crowded into the kitchen. Conner was being held down by Spike and Buffy—his shoulder having been relocated—while Willow forced the truth spell down his throat. Everyone made way for Julie and Angel as they moved towards the table.

"What's your name?" Willow asked once Conner had swallowed the potion. She wanted to be sure it had the desired effect.

"Conner." Conner grumbled. He was trying very hard to fight the potion off. He wanted to protect Valhalla's secrets for reasons beyond even himself.

"Who are your parents?" Buffy asked for the sole purpose of having more assurance that the spell was working.

"Angelus and Darla." Conner frowned hard as he answered. The corded muscles on his neck popped out as he physically began to fight the effects of the potion.

"What did you do to my powers?" Julie burst out before she could stop herself. Angel laid a warning hand on her shoulder as she took a seat across from Conner. After glancing up at Angel, she turned to Conner. "Don't forget; as much as you fight the potion, you will never get your lies past me."

"I took them." Conner rolled his eyes as though this question was pointless.

"Don't play dumb, Conner. I know you know what I meant." Julie was close to lunging across the table and throttling the teenager. "What did you do to them?"

"You'll get them back, don't worry." Conner danced around the question. He couldn't lie, but he could dance just as well as Julie.

"When?" Julie hissed. Her fury rising quickly to almost boiling point.

"I don't know when. It could be a week, could be a day. Let's hope it's not the latter." Conner grinned evilly at Julie. She stood up, and was about to follow through with her thoughts, but Angel stopped her. He placed both hands on her shoulders, forcing her gently to sit back down.

"What are you doing here, Conner?" Angel asked in a calm voice. It was in complete contrast to his grip on Julie's shoulders.

"Valhalla was using me as a trap for you; to take Julie's powers from her." Conner grudgingly told the group.

"Why?" Buffy asked, frowning. Why would Valhalla want Julie's powers to be gone?

"So that when he gets here, he won't have any problem getting the Eye back." Conner told them, offending Buffy. She was the _Slayer_; demons feared _her_.

"Does he not realize that I am the Slayer?" Buffy asked, her bruised ego doing the talking for her. She didn't want to think that Julie was possibly the only person who could injure Valhalla. If they completed each other, wouldn't Buffy be just as strong in different ways, and still able to beat him.

"Yes, but Julie has gone up against Valhalla before, and he fears her." Conner smirked at Buffy, catching on that she was hurt by his words. All eyes left Conner to look at Julie in that moment.

"You've faced the demon lord?" Anya asked the question that was on everyone's mind. Clearly, they were all shocked to hear this.

"How do you think I got the ring in the first place?" Julie asked, making everyone realize that they hadn't really questioned it before. "I didn't just ask him for it. I fought with him, and then became his prisoner so he wouldn't suspect anything. I got the ring off of him during our fight, but stuck around for a few days after."

"All that is besides the point." Angel reminded them sharply. He turned back to his son. "How did Valhalla get a hold of you?"

"Remember how I wanted to travel the world?" Conner reminded Angel that his son had always wanted to travel beyond California. "I decided to start in Asia."

"And Valhalla scooped you up as soon as he smelt you." Julie finished for him. Her powers may be gone, but she would always have her mind reading powers. They were a part of 

her every being, and could never be taken away. "Did he use a mind spell on you, or something else?"

"Something else." Conner grinned. He didn't have to tell them what Valhalla did unless asked specifically. Julie wiped the smile off his face with one of her own.

"Why did you let him use you like that?" Buffy spoke through clenched teeth. Her entire body was tense with anger.

"You wouldn't understand. You didn't have two _vampires_ as your parents." Conner spat out. Something was wrong. Everyone had thought that he had come to terms with his hatred for his parents. "I shouldn't exist, so when Valhalla struck a deal with me that if I helped him find the Eye of Eden and destroy the thief who took it, he would resurrect Darla so I can be the one to kill both my parents."

"I thought you were over your hatred, Conner. What happened?" Julie asked casually, though anyone who knew her well enough could tell that she was anxious and on the verge of rage.

"You did." Conner hissed, lowering a glare at Julie. The Anti-Slayer seemed less than pleased by what he said. "You just waltzed back into Angel's life acting like you belonged there the whole time, when really you don't even realize the huge impact of your appearance."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Angel jumped to Julie's defence when it looked like she wouldn't.

"Everything was just starting to balance out and look up when Julie showed up." Conner couldn't stop glaring at the blonde still sitting across from him. "We were getting along, business was going good, and I was finally starting to look at Angel as a father. Then you come bursting into our lives only to change everything. You convinced Angel to go away with you, but where does that leave the company? Where does that leave me?"

"Oh my Gods." Julie groaned, scrubbing a hand down her face. It was all starting to make sense now that she had more puzzle pieces. How could she be so dense as to not realize all this before?

"What is it?" Buffy asked, tearing her eyes away from Conner in favour of Julie. There was something in Julie's voice, like she just remembered something.

"Valhalla did what he does best." Julie felt almost like laughing. Not in a happy sort of way, but more in a hysterical we're-all-doomed kind of way. She looked around the room at all the Scoobies, sobering up enough to explain her meaning. "He took the seed of Conner's anger towards us, which would probably have never bloomed, and fuelled the fire, so to speak. He enhanced Conner's hatred tenfold, then used his one track mind to trick us."

"Is there any way to reverse it?" Willow asked hopefully. She would gladly use up all her powers to help return Conner back to the way he was. Julie shook her head sadly.

"It has to run its course, and there is no saying how long that will take." Julie informed them. She turned back to Conner, stemming off all the questions she knew would be asked. "So when will he be here Conner?"

"By the week's end." Conner started to laugh like a maniac. Julie kept her face stone-like, but she knew Conner was laughing at her panic.

"There's no time." Buffy whispered, her panic evident in her voice. She raised a hand to her mouth as if she could hold in her sobs that way. Spike's arm was of little comfort now as she saw their window of opportunity slam shut. 'What are we going to do now?"

"We're going to continue with our plan." Julie's voice sounded out clearly over the din of the other's whispers. She stood from her chair exuding confidence. "We have a week, which is not a lot of time, true, but when Valhalla comes we _will_ be ready."

Julie let her words sink in for a moment before she strode from the room. She held on to her confidence until she was in the living room alone. Her shoulders sagged considerably, and tears burned in her eyes. She felt like collapsing and giving up, but she knew she couldn't. She had ten very good reasons not to, and nine of them were standing in the kitchen.

"The spell is ready to be performed." Alvera entered the room. Julie turned to the gypsy with a blank stare, her mind not yet processing what she was hearing.

"Are you going to do the spell now?" Buffy appeared in the doorway behind Alvera. The gypsy nodded without a word as she went around the room scattering a mixture of dried oak leaves, rosemary, and sage.

"Is Giles here?" Julie finally found her voice, looking beyond Buffy into the darkened hallway. If she concentrated on little things, she wouldn't think about her impending doom. "He said he would be here for this."

"He said he was on his way when we talked to him about the boy." Spike told Julie as the group moved into the room. Julie nodded, and moved closer to Willow and Tara.

"Did you find anything strange?" Julie asked in a hushed voice so that no one else could hear. She didn't need for Alvera to think that they suspected her of trickery. Luckily, all the others were talking up a storm, hiding Julie's question.

"She wouldn't let us see all of the spell." Tara told her sadly. All three women looked at the seemingly innocent old woman wandering around the room. "We didn't want her to take it the wrong way, and start to be suspicious so there wasn't much we could do."

"Were any strange herbs or things like that used?" Julie nodded in understanding. She eyed the gypsy warily; what would she have to hide? Why wouldn't she let Willow and Tara see the spell?

"Not that we noticed, but she acted odd whenever we touched her things." Willow told Julie. Julie frowned as she looked at the redhead. "We weren't allowed to touch anything, but she covered that by saying we would disturb the power."

"She's probably right about that. Both of your powers would enhance her own therefore enhancing the power surrounding her things." Julie nodded. The cover seemed logical to her. She caught Angel's eye as he walked into the room followed closely by Giles. "Where's Conner?"

"Tied up with a binding spell in the kitchen." Angel told her as she approached him. He flicked his eyes to Giles in a hinting manner.

"Giles." Julie went to stand in front of the British ex-librarian. He looked up at her as though startled from a daydream. It was clear to Julie that he wasn't expecting her to speak to him. "I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier, and I know that there is no excuse for my words, but you have to understand that I am a small step up from being a demon, and demons are known to be malicious and stupid."

"You weren't being stupid or malicious, Julie." Giles sighed, taking off his glasses to polish them. "I over reacted at the thought of not being needed."

"It seems to be a common fight between you and I." Julie smiled, a familiar Buffy-like twinkle in her eye. Giles snorted, but couldn't deny that she was right. "Am I forgiven?"

"Of course you are." Giles wrapped her up in a quick hug, knowing how uncomfortable they made Julie feel.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to talk to Buffy, and our two champions out in the hall." Julie said when she stepped away from the Watcher. He nodded, letting Julie gather up Angel, Spike, and Buffy. She took them out into the hallway where they would have more privacy.

"What did Willow and Tara find?" Buffy asked as she sat on the bottom step of the stairs. Spike leaned in the doorway looking at Julie expectantly.

"That Alvera is very protective of her things." Julie rubbed her eyes, her energy level finally dragging her down. "She wouldn't let Willow and Tara see the spell or even touch any of her things."

"So we don't know if she has anything up her sleeve." Angel stated. He didn't need to question it, he knew it was true. Julie dropped her hand to her side to look tiredly—sadly—around at her friends.

"It goes without saying that if you guys want to back out, it's okay with me." Julie sighed, shaking her head. "This whole thing is going down the tube as it is."

"Come on, Julie. We'll figure something out." Angel wrapped an arm around Julie's shoulders, kissing her temple. Julie leaned into his hold for comfort. Angel was the only man she would ever be comfortable hugging. "I'm still going to do the spell."

"Same here." Spike nodded. "The ring needs to be destroyed either way. This spell is kind of still important."

"What if she pulls something?" Julie pointed out, pulling out of Angel's embrace. "I'm not trying to talk you out of it; I just would understand if you no longer want to do this."

"We have no way of knowing if she is going to pull anything, if that's what she has planned." Buffy pointed out as she stood up. She reached for Spike's hand, squeezing it tightly. "Though it still sounds really dangerous to me, Spike's right. The ring has to be destroyed no matter what."

"Okay...that's good." Julie offered them the ghost of a smile. "I just wanted you to know what Willow and Tara found out in the search."

Buffy nodded, leading them back into the living room. The Scoobies all sat on the out-of-the-way furniture. Alvera finished scattering her dried herb concoction, and was now standing between two recently painted pentacles. She gestured for the two vampires to step forward.

"Angelus, stand here." Alvera gestured for Angel to step into the centre of the pentacle on her left. She pointed to the other one. "William, if you could."

Spike and Angel took their positions in the middle of the painted star. Julie looked around the room for anything strange or out of place. She stayed in the doorway so she could watch Alvera without distraction from the others. Looking the gypsy up and down, Julie noticed that Alvera stood on a small protection symbol.

Before Julie could react or question it, Alvera started speaking in Latin. Julie let her surroundings drop away as she concentrated solely on the gypsy's words. The spell rang clearly in her mind as she quickly examined each word for anything that might be cause for alarm.

"_Homo ab aurora_

_Lamia ab crepusculum"_

Human at dawn? Vampire at twilight? Julie's eyes flew open as she realized what that meant. Without putting any thought into it, Julie grasped Willow's shoulder drawing on the redhead's power. A surge of white heat burst into her body only to leave seconds later from her hands. Julie blasted a ball of energy at the protection symbol below the gypsy's feet, destroying it.

"What do you think you are doing?" Julie was in front of Alvera in a heartbeat, her hand grasping the gypsy's frail throat. Julie backed her up against the wall. "You think I don't know Latin? We had a deal."

"Yes, that I was to cruse him with a human life." Alvera was quick to cover her surprise. She wasn't surprised that Julie had reacted this way, it was more the fact that she was able to break the protection binding.

"Exactly! Not leave half of what he was." Julie's eyes began to glow dangerously. She was brought from her anger when she heard a thud behind her. Without loosening her grip, she looked over her shoulder upon the fallen body of her boyfriend. Julie snapped her head back around to give Alvera a deadly glare.

"What did you do to him?" Julie hissed, her grip tightening fractionally on the gypsy's neck.

"Only what was asked of me." Alvera's voice was choked, but still she remained calm.

"Well, fix it." Julie pulled her hand back suddenly from Alvera's neck. Julie gestured for the gypsy to get to work on her love. "Make him a full human."

"It's too late. He is unconscious." Alvera moved hesitantly toward the fallen vampire. Julie shoved her none-too-gently toward Angel. "I cannot do it with him asleep."

"Angel." Julie dropped her knees beside Angel's sleeping form. She cradled his head in her lap. "Angel, my love, please wake up. I need you to wake up."

"What about me?" Spike spoke up. Julie looked up hen, realizing for the first time that he was still standing and conscious. She looked at Alvera.

"I can only do one at a time." Alvera sounded apologetic, though Julie couldn't figure out why. This gave Alvera a chance to get it right the first time she tried.

"Turn Spike into a _full_ human." Julie made a quick decision. "If you try anything funny, I'll slit your throat and bleed you dry."

Alvera nodded, and Julie knew that she could trust the gypsy witch. It was rare that she didn't make good on her threats, so Alvera had good reason to fear for her life. Julie smiled happily; fear was an excellent motivator.

Buffy stood by anxiously as Alvera performed the spell on Spike. It was much the same as watching Angel, though the wording was thankfully different. Buffy held her breath for a heartbeat, but released it when Julie didn't attack Alvera. The gypsy must have done something right this time.

Buffy was at Spike's side the second Alvera was finished. He tried to stay awake long enough to reassure Buffy, but his eyes drooped shut before he could open his mouth. It didn't matter. Buffy could see the change him already, and that Spike seemed happy with it.

'Is Angelus awake?" Alvera turned to Julie once she saw that Spike was asleep. Julie looked up at her as she continued to stroke his face. Julie nodded as Angel squeezed her hand. "You must move out of the circle. His demon will move into your body if you don't."

Julie hesitated a moment, not really wanting to leave Angel's side. He opened his eyes tiredly to look up at Julie. At his nod, she slowly moved out of the pentacle. Alvera got right into the spell again under the watchful eye of Julie.

It seemed a lot longer before Alvera finished. Angel had fallen back into a deep sleep towards the end. Though Julie worried the spell wouldn't work, Alvera continued. Alvera's energy finally left her when she was done, and she left the room without another word. The group could hear her stumble up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Angel?" Julie had expected him to stay asleep like Spike. He opened his eyes, looking around in a slight panic. Julie hurried the short distance to his side, grasping his hand. "How do you feel?"

"Alive." Angel smiled faintly up at his blonde Anti-Slayer. Julie pressed her finger to his throat, and felt a strong steady heartbeat below.

"That's great." Julie was at a loss for words. She was so happy, but didn't know what to say to Angel. She kissed Angel's forehead, hoping that portrayed her feelings better. "Go to sleep."

"But..." Angel struggled to get up. Julie helped him to slowly stand up, knowing exactly why he couldn't sleep right away.

"Where is he going?" Buffy asked in shock as the whole gang watched Angel leave the room.

"Bathroom." Spike mumbled in his sleep. Buffy looked down at him with a frown. As Spike started to stir in his sleep, it dawned on Buffy what he meant and where Angel had gotten off to.

"Makes sense." Buffy shrugged, helping Spike up.

"Hey, while they're gone, I want to run something by you." Julie turned to Buffy once Spike had left the room. Buffy looked at her expectantly. "I would like it if Angel and Spike stayed at the mansion. I've cleaned a bedroom for Spike and everything. I would just feel better if you and Spike stayed there with Angel and I."

"Does this have anything to do with Valhalla?" Buffy eyed Julie carefully. She wasn't going to say no to the offer, but she also didn't want Julie to think that she couldn't handle the demon lord.

"It'll just be easier to deal with him if we can lead him away from Angel and Spike, and not have to worry about bringing him near your side of town." Julie told Buffy the truth without hesitation. "That's definitely one of the many things we have to watch out for. If Valhalla makes any connection between us and our boyfriends, we're screwed. We're also screwed if he learns of our link, because then all he'll have to do is kill you to kill me."

"It's strange seeing your reflection for the first time in centuries." Spike grumbled as he re-entered the living room. His knees gave out, but Buffy was there to save him from crumpling to the floor.

"We're going to the mansion with Angel and Julie." Buffy told him gently before he could move to sit on the couch. "Just until you recover."

"Where's Angel?" Julie realized that Angel hadn't come back yet. She rushed from the room to go look for him.

"Why are we going to the mansion, pet?" Spike looked at Buffy with half-closed eyes. He tried to shift his weight so he wasn't crushing her, but all he did was put more on her.

"To keep you guys safe until you are recovered more." Buffy bit her lip as she admitted the truth to Spike. She could tell that he wanted badly to protest, but she hurried on to stop him. "Spike, you are in no condition to fight off a demon lord, and you know you won't be in a week."

"You want to keep us out of the way." It was obvious that Spike didn't like this idea, and Buffy couldn't blame him. She would hate to think that her friends thought her useless and just in the way.

"We want to keep you safe." Buffy insisted. She was happy when Julie came back into the room, saving her. "Where's Angel?"

"Sleeping in the car." Julie had found him asleep in a chair in the front foyer, and had taken him to the car. "I'm going to take him to the mansion. Did you want me to come back for you later?"

"Nah, I can drive up once I'm packed." Buffy waved Julie on. "I'll meet you there."

"Sounds good." Julie nodded. She waved good-bye to everyone, and left the living room.

"Willow, can you and Tara stay with Dawn and Alvera?" Buffy asked as soon as she heard the front door close. Alvera was still a big factor in everything, and Buffy didn't want Dawn to stay alone with the unpredictable witch.

"Of course we will." Willow nodded several times. It wasn't as though this was the first time they had been asked to stay with Dawn while Buffy went off to fight some demon or get information from Willy.

"Thank you so much." Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly she helped Spike out of the room, and up the stairs so she could pack for both of them.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Julie stretched her cramping muscles. She had been curled up almost all day in the wicker chair she had brought into Angel's room. She would've slept in the bed if she wasn't worried about disturbing Angel's much needed recovering slumber. His comfort was much more important than her own.

She looked over at her love when she noticed he seemed to be waking up. Julie quickly shook her sleep-clouded mind, trying to clear it of any lingering dreams or nightmares. Carefully, she sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to grasp Angel's warm hand. It was going to take some time for her to get used to him not being cold anymore.

"Hey." Julie greeted softly when Angel opened his eyes, returning the squeeze Julie's hand had given his. He rolled his head stiffly to the side to look up at her. "How do you feel?"

"Thirsty." Angel rasped, trying to clear his throat unsuccessfully. Julie sprang into action. She had already replaced all the packets of blood in the mini fridge with bottles of water and protein drinks. She pulled out a sports water bottle—a precaution for drinking at poor angles—and handed it to him. "Thanks."

"Do you need anything else?" Julie stood beside the bed, waiting for Angel to say anything. She was ready to wait on him hand and foot.

"Come here." Angel's arm snaked out, wrapping around Julie's waist. He pulled her to him, sighing in content to have her next to him. "How long have I been out?"

"Four days." Julie replied quietly, laying her head on Angel's chest. She was comforted to hear his steady heartbeat below her ear as his chest rose and fell with each breath.

"How is Spike doing?" Angel was worried about his grandchilde—not that they were related anymore. Now that was going to be a hard fact to wrap his head around. "Has he woken up yet?"

"Not that I know of." Julie slightly shook her head. She wanted to keep her movements subtle so to not disturb their peacefulness. "He seemed fine to me when I was watching over him."

"Why were you watching over him?" Angel lifted his head to look at Julie. She had no reason to look after Spike unless Buffy was out of town. "Did Buffy go somewhere?"

"She went to LA to drop Alvera off at LAX." Julie tilted her head to look up into Angel's eyes. "I had things to do here, and I couldn't go along with her, so I took care of Spike and you while she was gone."

"What did you have to get done?" Angel's brow furrowed as he tried to even guess at what Julie had to do. It was unusual for them not to talk everything over, so he was drawing blanks on this one.

"I'll explain later." Julie sat up, smoothing her hand over Angel's forehead. She replaced her fingers with her lips, softly kissing him. "You need rest. I'll tell you when you get up. I'll even make you food. Any requests?"

"Do you have any chocolate ice cream?" Angel asked after a moment of thought. For some reason her was really craving ice cream.

"I'll make you a sundae. How does that sound?" Julie couldn't help but smile at his choice of food. She couldn't imagine wanting ice cream first thing after waking up, but to each their own.

"Sounds almost delicious." Angel wiggled his eyebrows, not needing to finish his sentence. Julie rolled her eyes, but kissed him deeply anyway.

"It'll be waiting for you when you wake up." Julie promised, moving off the bed. She would have loved nothing more than to nap with Angel, but he looked so tired still and she wanted him to recover quickly.

"Oh hey." Buffy greeted brightly in the hallway. She was just leaving Spike's room. "Any change?"

"Actually he just woke up." Julie couldn't stop herself from smiling. It was a great relief to have him awake and okay. "How about Spike?"

"Not yet, but there's always hope." Buffy tried to sound less down, but she couldn't fool Julie. She shook her head, pasting on a smile. "I was going to make eggs or something. Want to join me?"

"Sure. I was just heading there myself." Julie nodded, and followed Buffy down to the kitchen. "Do you know if we have chocolate ice cream?"

"Why? Are you craving some?" Buffy chuckled as she started to pull out the things she would need to make omelettes.

"No, Angel is." Julie sat down on a stool at the bar counter so she could watch Buffy make food for them. "I promised him a sundae."

"I don't think we bought any ice cream when we went grocery shopping." Buffy opened the freezer to double check. She shook her head when she saw only packets of blood and trays of ice. "Looks like you'll have to go out and buy some."

"I suppose so." Julie sighed. "You know, you never really told me about what went on in LA. How did the meeting at Wolfram and Hart go?"

"Not good." Buffy shook her head resignedly.

Flashback

"_Buffy! We weren't expecting you this soon." Wesley exclaimed, rushing to greet her. He looked around, expecting to see Julie. "Where's our mind reader?"_

"_She couldn't make it this time." Buffy told Wesley. Julie hadn't told her much about what she needed to do, only that it was more important and urgent than taking Alvera to LAX. "Something big came up."_

"_That woman will always be a mystery to me." Wesley shook his head, but smiled all at the same time. He gestured for Buffy to follow him, ignoring Harmony's incessant nattering. "Illyria is in the lab working on a project. I'll just go get her."_

_Buffy was left alone in Angel's office. She felt weird being there, and not actually waiting for Angel. It was then that she remembered the Hyperion had very limited space, and not many _

_offices. Buffy wandered over to a picture hanging near the door—a new one obviously—of Angel and Julie hugging and smiling for the camera. Buffy had only seen Angel smile like that a handful of times, and now she knew which part of her he was smiling at._

"_Hello Buffy." Gunn greeted as he entered Angel's office, startling Buffy. She quickly moved away from the picture, but Gunn had still caught her. "They make a good couple, don't they?"_

"_She belongs with him."Buffy gestured to the look on Angel's face. "I've never seen him happier."_

"_Me neither." Gunn admitted, moving to take a seat on the black leather couch under a giant picture of a sunset. "So how is he after the spell?"_

"_He and Spike are unconscious. Alvera only did the spell last night, though." Buffy told him casually as she examined an abstract painting behind Angel's desk. She wasn't quite sure what it was o. As she turned to face Gunn, she made a mental note to ask Angel about it. "We have a problem, though."_

"_What's that?" Gunn asked, his curiosity piqued. Buffy's answer, however, was put on hold as Illyria and Wesley entered the office._

"_Conner's been taken over to Valhalla's side." Buffy waited until Wesley and Illyria were settled before informing them all. She held up her hand to keep them silent. "He has sapped Julie of her powers due to something Valhalla did to her through him, and Valhalla is on his way to Sunnydale. He will be here by the week's end."_

"_This is terrible news." Wesley looked the most grief stricken while the other two simply sat there in shocked disbelief. "I knew I should have stopped him from traveling until after this was all taken care of."_

"_A kid like Conner? Do you honestly think you could tell him to do anything, and have him actually listen to you?" Gunn pointed out, finally snapping out of his shock. "Do you know when Julie will be getting her powers back?"_

"_That has yet to be determined, though she says she is fine." Buffy shrugged. There wasn't much they could do if Julie said she was fine; she can't lie. "We are dealing with Conner as best we can. He is under constant surveillance, and we are treating him well considering he is on our enemy's side."_

"_How did Angel seem to take it?" Illyria asked. If she knew Angel as well as she thought she did, he would be hiding his pain right now._

"_Angel is handling it as Angel has always handled things." Buffy sighed. She didn't like it when Angel locked away his emotions, but it was what he has done for hundreds of years. "Though he is unconscious now, he was definitely hiding behind the task of having to do the spell instead of facing Conner."_

"_That sounds like something he would do." Wesley nodded sadly. They all remained silent for a moment before Wesley broke it. "Now, I suppose you are in a hurry to get back to Spike's side..."_

"_I am. I wish I could stay longer, but if he wakes up alone, I'll feel terrible." Buffy gave the three an apologetic smile before focusing on Illyria. "Did you find anything? Please tell me that you did."_

"_Well, it's not so much as found something through research." Illyria started out. She paused until Buffy urged her to continue. "I came across it in my experiments quite by accident. It's a cold jelly that when in contact with a hard surface such as the stone of an Altar, it freezes solid." _

"_Do you think it will work in Hell?" Buffy asked, her spirits souring high. It sounded as though this freezing jelly was the answer to all their problems. That is if it worked. "Does it work in extreme heat?"_

"_We are testing that right now." Illyria explained. "So far the only problem that has come up is that it takes longer to solidify the higher the temperature. We've slowly been raising the heat level as we experiment more."_

"_Illyria, you had better come quick." A man burst through the door without knocking. He seemed to be in a panic, which caused everyone in the office to jump to their feet._

"_What is it Jasper?" Illyria asked. She was the quickest to her feet, and was hurrying after her assistant. "Did something go wrong in the lab?"_

"_See for yourself." Jasper held the door open for them all to look inside._

_Stainless steel counters were covered with an iridescent, oily liquid. Heat emanated from the room out into the hall. It was a choking heat, causing Buffy to unconsciously back up a few steps. Steam billowed up off of the puddles of gel, which Buffy was now recognizing as the freezing jelly._

"_It won't work." She breathed as realization hit her hard. It wasn't just the heat causing her to tighten; it was their doom._

End Flashback

"So we're still at square one." Julie sighed as she left Buffy's mind. The memory was winding down, and there was nothing of interest left. "To think we thought Spike and Angel turning human was going to be hard."

"Yeah." Buffy, for some reason, felt she had failed them. She doled out the scrambled eggs on to two plates while she let her mind wander over all she had seen in the lab. "Do you think there is a freezing spell that might work?"

"Willow and Tara are looking into that already." Julie nodded her thanks as Buffy handed her a plate. "And I have the rest of them looking up the Altar of Christ."

"I doubt they'll find anything." Buffy mumbled, shovelling a forkful of eggs into her mouth. She was really beginning to lose hope in all this.

"So do I, but I needed to give them something to do to keep them off my back." Julie spoke without thinking. She paused with her fork posed over her plate, waiting for Buffy to react. It didn't happen. "Spike will be fine."

"How did you...? You read my thoughts, didn't you?" Buffy hadn't even realized that her mind was so open. Julie shrugged, not denying it. Buffy sank down on to the stool next to Julie. "I don't want to worry, but I can't help it. I just want to see his blue eyes again."

"If it's any consolation, he's worried about you too." Julie tried to comfort Buffy in the only way she knew how. She hated revealing Spike's private thoughts to Buffy, but the Slayer seemed so distressed. "He knows Valhalla is on his way, and Spike wants so badly to wake up and comfort you."

"You heard all that?" Buffy asked hopefully. Though she would always slightly be jealous of Julie's powers—it would be nice to know what Spike was thinking sometimes—it was comforting to hear that Spike was thinking about her constantly even in his coma-like sleep.

"Could I lie to you?" Julie smiled over at Buffy. The two girls fell silent as they continued to eat, coming across an over cooked piece every once in a while.

* * *

"There's my love." Angel greeted brightly when Julie came back into the room in the wee hours of the morning. He seemed to be a different person now that he was a human being and not rasping from sleep.

"Are you referring to me or the sundae?" Julie teased as she handed him the bowl in her hand. She sat down on the edge of the bed, silently examining him as he ate. His skin had changed to a healthy colour—more human. His eyes didn't seem as dull anymore. Julie had to fight not to reach out and touch him.

"Do you like it?" Julie laughed as she watched Angel inhale the ice cream. Angel paused to smile sheepishly. Julie curled up on the bed, yawning. "So sleepy."

"That's not fair." Angel complained, setting aside the empty bowl. Julie opened one eye to look up at him questioningly. "I'm not tired anymore."

"You will be soon." Julie promised. "Besides, do you think I actually got good sleep in that chair while worrying about everything that has been going on? I had a lot of things on my mind that you can't even begin to guess at, and that chair, my friend, did not offer any comfort."

"No...speaking of that, why didn't you go to LA with Buffy and Alvera?" Angel asked, suddenly remembering that Julie hadn't joined the Slayer on her trip out of town. "You promised."

"Fine." Julie groaned as she sat up. She lifted her shirt to show Angel a burn mark on her ribcage. Tenderly, Angel reached out to ghost his fingers over her marred skin.

"What happened? Did Valhalla come to town already?" Angel's worry piqued. He was pretty sure that Julie would have already told him if the demon lord had visited already, but he wasn't thinking straight.

"No, it's nothing like that at all." Julie assured him as she rolled down her shirt again. She took both of Angel's hands in her own, looking him deep in the eyes. "Please don't freak out, but I forced Willow and Tara to drain the Eye of Eden of its powers."

"And do what with them?" What Julie had just said was confusing to say the least, but one thing he did understand was that that power wasn't safe to set free and leave free.

"Put it in me." Julie told him softly. She was mildly surprised that Angel had heard her, but she didn't dwell on it. Angel's body tensed up as her words sank in. "It was the only thing I could think to do that would stop Valhalla. As long as he doesn't make the connection between Buffy and I, I am immortal. The Eye's power can't be used by him while in me."

"Do you realize how dangerous that is, Julie?" Angel let his anger take over. If he took the time to think about it, what Julie did made sense, but she was risking so much. "Don't you realize that that power isn't healthy for a person? It's too tempting, and will lead to destruction."

"I don't know the full extent of the Eye's powers, and until I absolutely have to use them, I won't." Julie stroked Angel's face lovingly, soothingly. "I love that you are concerned, Angel, but I understand the risks. You have to know that I did not choose to do this on a whim. I had been thinking about it since the second Conner told us Valhalla's due date."

"Oh my Gods, Conner. Where is he?" Angel gasped, realizing that he didn't know what had happened to his own son since tying him up in the kitchen with a binding spell. "How is he doing? Still on Valhalla's side?"

"For now, but you can tell Valhalla's influence is starting to wear off." Julie reassured Angel. She gave him a quick kiss before lying back down. "Good night, my Angel."

"Good night, beloved." Angel lay down beside her, pulling Julie into his arms. It felt so good to have her there again. If he could've missed something while in a coma, it would've been cuddling with his Aphrodite.

* * *

"Not so fast, mister!" Julie called as she entered the bedroom. Angel was about to open the curtains, but Julie rushed in to stop him. She stormed over to the windows, and snatched the heavy drapes away from Angel. "What do you think you are doing? It is four in the afternoon, there is no way you are looking at the sun."

"Why not?" Angel sounded frustrated. He had longed to look at the sun for years, and now that he could actually do that without dusting, his girlfriend was stopping him.

"Do you want to go blind?" Julie pointed out in her own way. Angel frowned in deep confusion. "If you open this curtain, you will. You have to let your eyes adjust to the sun. I suggest you wait until dusk or dawn to check out the sun."

"But..." Angel trailed off as Julie leaned up to kiss him. His protest was lost as Julie deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"The sun is more romantic and pretty then anyway." Julie said softly when she finally pulled away. She had to stifle a chuckle at the sight of Angel out of breath, a sight neither of them thought they would ever see. "Come on, let's go visit Spike. Maybe he'll wake up today."

Angel followed Julie across the hall. This would be his first time seeing Spike as a human and not as his grandchilde. He paused at the door as Julie went in. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for the weirdness that was just inside the room.

Julie and Angel were met by a happy sight. Spike was sitting up in bed with Buffy contently curled up against his side. Clearly the blonde couple were simply enjoying each other's presence. Spike casually twirled a lock of Buffy's hair around his finger. Buffy looked up at Julie with a smile.

"Good to see you alive and well, Spike." Julie greeted, walking further into the room. Angel hung back, still a little weirded out by the whole alive thing.

"Isn't it, though?" Buffy sounded truly happy. Definitely a step up from the Buffy Julie had left in the kitchen the night before. "But I told him he had stay in bed, just like Angel did."

"Not bloody likely." Spike snorted. Angel stepped closer to the bed, ready to lash out with a retort, but Julie wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Actually, it is better if you stay in bed. The more rest you get, the quicker you recover." Julie said before Angel could speak up. "If you're recovery pattern is anything like Angel's, you should be up by tomorrow morning. Though I don't know how long you will be up for."

"I am nothing like my poof of a gran—" Spike stopped mid-sentence as it dawned on him that his relationship with Angel had changed drastically. He no longer felt the Aurelius line stretch between Angel and himself.

"Strange, isn't it?" Angel asked quietly as he watched the younger male's face change from surprise to fascination. "We no longer have ties to each other."

"Take some time getting used to, it will." Spike mumbled. His hatred for Angel dulled in light of this new discovery. He no longer felt the need to compete with him. In hindsight, his constant feud seemed rather petty and very much un-needed. If he was to really think about it, though, he had to admit that this hatred had already dimmed slightly when he found out that Angel didn't love his Buffy.

"Did you need us to get you anything?" Julie's offer broke off Spike's train of thoughts. He shook his head, gesturing to the plate of hot wings Buffy had already gotten him. "Oh, that's so Spike of you."

"Seemed appropriate." Spike shrugged innocently. Buffy chuckled softly to herself as she snuggled up to Spike more. Spike attempted to stifle a yawn, but Julie caught it.

"We'll leave you two to rest." Julie smiled at the couple. She grabbed Angel's hand, pulling him from the room.

"I don't want to go back to bed." Julie rolled her eyes. Human Angel acted like a whiney child sometimes. She fell back to walk beside him as they headed down the stairs.

"I figured that since I'm hungry, you would be too." Julie smiled on him as she felt relief wash over him.

"What are we going to have for dinner?" Angel asked as he began rifling through the fridge. Nothing in it really seemed to be what he was craving. It all looked good, but not what he wanted. "I could really go for..."

"Chinese food?' Julie suggested, coming into the kitchen carrying three bags of take-out Chinese food. The smell of it made Angel's mouth begin to water. As Julie set out the different cartons, Angel's saliva glands went into over-drive. "I got Pad Thai, chicken Chop Suey, Cantonese Chow Mein, deep fried Wonton, Lo Mein, almond Soo Guy, vegetable spring rolls, and beef fried rice."

"How did you know?" Angel wondered as he started to help Julie unload the bags. It took all his willpower not to dig in right away, utensils or not.

"Here, before you go caveman on me." Julie handed Angela pair of chopsticks. Angel gave her a confused look, but Julie just tapped her temple with one finger. The simple gesture silently reminded him of what Julie is capable of even without her powers.

"So when do you think you'll get your powers back?" Angel asked, opening a carton of Pad Thai. He fumbled with the chopsticks to eat the yummy noodles. He felt rather clumsy with the foreign utensils in his hand. He watched in awe as Julie masterfully used the chopsticks to pop a shrimp into her mouth.

"It's an art, but you'll get the hang of it." Julie assured Angel when she noticed how he was staring at her. "But I am hoping to get them back soon. Gods be praised if I get them back before Valhalla shows up."

"That would be helpful." Angel agreed. He tried to hold the chopsticks like Julie, but one just ended up twirling out of his grasp. "Why do these stupid things even exist?"

"You don't have to use them, you know. You can eat with a fork." Julie tried to hold in her laughter as Angel fumbled the sticks again. "You're lucky Shamar isn't here to see you."

"Who's Shamar?" Angel asked, finally becoming fed up enough that he slammed the chopsticks down on the counter, and viciously pulled a fork from the utensil drawer.

"An elder monk at the temple in Tibet." Julie answered simply, trying very hard not to smile at Angel's frustration. She watched him in silence as he shovelled forkful after forkful of Pad Thai in his mouth. "What do you say we bring this upstairs and watch a movie or something?"

"Sounds good." Angel covered his mouth, trying to hold in a yawn. He didn't want to go to bed just yet. He had just gotten his freedom from the bed, he didn't want to give that up so soon. But the thought of laying around, eating, and watching TV sounded too divine to pass up.

"Come on, we can even drop some of this off for Buffy and Spike." Julie told him as she began to pack up the food. She could tell that Angel was tired, but trying to deny it. That's why she had sweetened the deal with food and TV.

* * *

When Spike woke up in the middle of the night to a growling stomach, he noticed that Buffy wasn't in bed. Her side of the bed was cold, slightly worrying Spike. Those worries were squashed, though, as Spike remembered that she had said something about going on patrol now that he was awake. Satisfied with that revelation, he slowly got out of bed. All his joints and muscles groaned in protest from disuse.

"Being human bloody well sucks." Spike grumbled, slipping on a pair of jeans. He didn't bother with a shirt, figuring he would raid the fridge, and bring the food back to bed. What he wasn't anticipating was that he would be greeted by the Scooby Gang, who had gathered in the living room.

"Spike, what are you doing up?" Buffy sounded surprised to see her lover up and about. She immediately left the chair she had been sitting in to give Spike her seat. "Is everything alright?"

"Just peachy." Spike was obviously annoyed that his supposedly quick trip to the kitchen was being postponed. He allowed Buffy, however, to help into the chair, where she perched on the arm rest. "What's going on down here? Did I miss something?"

"In a way, you did, but in a way, you didn't." Julie told the blonde ex-vampire. His mind was still muddled with sleep, so Julie's confusing answer didn't process it at all. "Giles was just about to explain to us why he is choosing now as a good time to leave."

"What do you mean?" Spike frowned at the Watcher, shaking his head to try and clear it some more. None of this was making any sense.

"Giles is going back to England." Buffy informed Spike, taking pity on him and how lost he was. She didn't sound too happy about that, but Spike couldn't hold that against her. He reached up, and patted Buffy's knee in absentminded reassurance.

"Running the Watcher's Council from here is a luxury that is hard on all of us, and there are certain things that need to be done but can't be done from here. They need to be taken care of in England." Giles hesitated, obviously not at all happy to be facing both Julie and Buffy's temper. "I'm needed back there."

"Whatever has come up can wait, Giles." Xander took the words right out of Buffy's mouth. "I think there are more important things going on in Sunnydale, on the Hellmouth. Take the approaching demon lord for example. That doesn't exactly have a lot of things it can pale in comparison to. I mean—"

"Shut up, Xander." Julie said in a very sharp, demanding voice. Xander snapped his mouth shut immediately, turning to look at Julie. She was concentrating hard on Giles. "It is more important. It involves the Eye."

"How is the Eye more important than Valhalla? Valhalla is sooner than the ring's destruction and we need Valhalla out of the way to destroy the ring." Xander was beginning to babble. He probably would have continued except Julie held up her hand to silence him.

"We can handle Valhalla. What Giles is going to do is more important." Julie said with a note of finality. Giles looked relieved that the Anti-Slayer was on his side. "When do you leave?"

"In a couple of hours." Giles glanced at his watch. Julie nodded, and then without another word, got up and went up the stairs.

"She is really... confusing sometimes." Spike watched Julie's retreating back. It was then that he noticed he could no longer hear her footsteps or smell her unique scent or be drawn to the blood that used to sing to him. "Bloody human."

"What was that?" Buffy asked, hearing Spike mumbling to himself. She didn't catch the words, though, but she knew he wouldn't repeat them. She ran her hand through his curled hair. "Shall we go back to bed?"

"Please." Spike smiled up at his love, allowing her help him up. "But first, can we get some food? I'm famished."

Before Buffy could answer, thundering footsteps caused everyone to look at the stairs. Julie hurdled down them, pausing briefly at the bottom. Angel stood up, and Julie threw herself into his arms. It was then that the gang caught a glimpse of the ring box in Julie's hand, finally able to understand the excitement on her face.

Angel swung her in a circle, Julie's happiness overriding his weakness. He kissed her deeply as she set her back on her feet again. Without breaking the kiss, Angel took the ring box from her. He opened it, and slipped the white gold Claddagh ring on to Julie's right hand ring finger.

"I figured it was appropriate." Angel spoke softly when they finally broke apart. Julie stared down at the ring. She loved it; that much was obvious. He raised his right hand to show her his own Claddagh ring. "I took the liberty of flipping mine."

"Oh Angel." Julie threw her arms around Angel's neck, hugging him tightly. She buried her face in his chest, sighing contently.

"How come you don't do anything like that for me, Xander?" Anya hissed at Xander, causing him to look nervous and everyone else to chuckle.

**A/N: Review please... I want to know what you think about Angel and Spike being awake now.**


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Why do you think he hasn't come yet? It's been a week." Buffy asked in a hushed voice. She and Julie were in the kitchen getting popcorn for the movie. Angel and Spike were still weak, and Julie still wouldn't let Angel see the sun, but the two ex-vampires insisted that they be allowed out of their bedrooms.

"I honestly have no clue." Julie kept her eyes on the popping bag in the microwave. "I would have figured that I would still draw him here, because I have the power of the Eye in me."

"Maybe next to your power in your own body, the Eye's power is diluted?" Buffy suggested, but even she didn't believe it.

"That might've been true if I had my powers, but I still don't." Julie grumbled, still bitter about losing them so easily. She stopped the microwave, pouring the popcorn into two separate bowls. "Don't fret about Valhalla. We're ready for him."

Which was mostly true. Julie had spent the week telling all of them about the demon lord. He had very limited weaknesses, which were hard to find. She helped them train and pick out weapons that would do at least some damage. There wasn't much more they could do except wait for Valhalla to show up.

"Here's your popcorn." Julie shoved a bowl into Spike's lap. She curled up to Angel's side on the love seat, the conversation from the kitchen mostly forgotten. "So, did you pick a movie yet?"

"Yup, Blondie over there chose The Godfather." Angel rolled his eyes while Spike smiled proudly. Julie groaned as Angel wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Wait, isn't that the movie with the horse head in the bed scene?" Buffy asked, her voice already taking on a protesting tone. Spike nodded gleefully as the movie began. "Isn't this movie a little dark to be watching right now?"

"Nah, The Godfather could never be too dark." Spike insisted. Buffy gave Julie and Angel a panicked look, begging for help. Spike continued, oblivious to Buffy's distress. "Besides, this movie is a total classic."

Julie opened her mouth to add to Buffy's not-quite-a-protest, but what came out weren't words. A pained grunt left her mouth, drawing all eyes to her. Julie clutched at her stomach as another wave of pain washed over her. Angel looked at her helplessly mortified as a cold sweat broke out on Julie's forehead.

The burning pain seemed focused on her stomach at first. But soon it seared along her nerves, leaving behind a pleasant tingling. At least it would have been pleasant if the fire wasn't so hot, causing the tingles to fade from her mind. Her skin felt deathly cold compared to her insides, and there didn't seem to be an end to the flames that were now racing along her limbs.

Suddenly, as the fire reached her fingertips, she felt nothing—weightless. The burning had stopped, and the freezing was fading. It was like a vacuum had sucked it all out, leaving a floating feeling inside her. She felt absolutely nothing...except a pressure on her shoulders.

"Julie? Are you all right?" Angel was asking, holding her shoulders. She blinked several times before focusing on him. He stroked her cheek, which was still slightly chilled. "What happened?"

"I think I just got my powers back." Julie sounded distant, her eyes glazed. She fell within herself, searching for the answer. There was no doubt in her mind that she felt fulfilled, but what exactly had just happened to her.

Closing her eyes to concentrate better, she withdrew deeper, letting her friends' worried gazes fall away. She could still feel the Eye of Eden's power burning brightly, no mistaking that. Searching deeper, Julie found what she was looking for.

"Yup, I definitely got them back." Julie smiled as she opened her eyes. She could feel relief well up in the other three. "Which by my guess, means Valhalla isn't too far behind."

They all fell silent at that. The Godfather was still playing in the background, but not even Spike was paying attention to it now. The reminded of the demon lord definitely put a damper on their relaxing night in front of the TV. Julie hadn't meant to mention Valhalla; she had been trying to keep his name away from home, in fact.

"The good news is that I'll be able to sense him when he does come to Sunny-D." Julie added, trying to look on the bright side of things. She didn't want Angel and Spike to worry, which could possibly set back their recovery. "Unfortunately, my connection has been broken, but that won't stop me from being able to sense him."

"Aren't you worried that Valhalla has done something to your powers?" Buffy asked. "Tampered with them in some way?"

"It's not possible." Julie shook her head with confidence. "That's not how my magic works."

"Oh, and how does your magic work exactly?" Spike asked, not bothering to cover up his doubt. Buffy rolled her eyes at this. Though she didn't get what Julie was getting at, she couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. Julie and Spike were like clockwork—very predictable about when and over what they would argue.

"Lucifer designed my powers to fit me and only me. No one else can control them." Julie heard Buffy's thoughts, and decided to ignore Spike's tone. "Most witches' powers enter the body of the person who took them, but since mine can't, they can't be tampered with. When they left my body, they sort of floated around until they found me again."

"You know, the more I learn about you, the more I fear you." Spike said, catching everyone's attention. Buffy looked up at her boyfriend questioningly. "Not the 'I'm-shaking-in-my-combat-boots fear', but plain fear of the unknown. Does that make sense?"

"Sort of like me coming across a new breed of demon?" Buffy asked, trying to better understand what Spike was saying. Spike nodded as he wrapped her up in his arms. "I suppose I can understand that."

"What is with everyone, and being afraid of me?" Julie threw her hands up in shock. She didn't get how so many people feared her. Demons, she could understand, but humans...well that just made no sense. She would never harm one unless she had to. "What have I ever done that's been so scary?"

"Besides everything?" Spike asked, teasing her. The conversation went downhill from there, turning to happier topics, though Julie could still see Valhalla in all their minds. "I think we should restart the movie."

"Why?" Buffy was ready to fight Spike on this if she had to. "If anything we should turn it off, and something else."

"Like what? Peaches doesn't have cable here, so we won't be able o watch TV." Spike pointed out. Angel growled deep in his throat at the mention of Spike's pet name for him.

"Do you have to still call me that?" Angel asked in annoyance. He figured that the pet names would stop now that he and Spike were no longer connected and Spike no longer felt the need to insult him every chance he got.

"Sorry, mate, but old habits die hard." Spike grinned. With Julie around there was no point in denying that he still enjoyed annoying Angel. Caught up in this new subject, Buffy didn't see Spike grab the remote, and skip back to the beginning on the movie.

"Hey!" Buffy complained, deciding to take matters into her own hands. She lunged for the remote, which Spike still held. She almost had it, but at the last second, Spike pulled his hand away, out of reach. "Turn it off, Spike. I'm warning you."

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?" Spike grinned down at Buffy, who lay across his lap on her back. Spike held the remote above his head, well out of Buffy's reach.

"Don't think that because you are human now and still recovering that I am going to go easy on you." Buffy seemed to promise him a rough time. Spike's grin widened as she sat up, straddling his lap. She held out her hand. "This is your last chance. Please give me the remote, Spike."

"Not going to happen, pet." Spike winked at her, throwing her for a spin. As soon as Spike spotted his opportunity, he began to tickle Buffy.

"No! Ah, Spike! Stop! Please stop!" Buffy squealed as her body twitched uncontrollably in Spike's lap. She tried not to react, but it was impossible not to. "Spike! You're evil! Pure evil!"

"Got that right, babe." Spike grinned as his fingers worked mercilessly. Tears rolled down Buffy's cheeks from laughing too hard, but she had to admit that there was nowhere else in the world she would rather be.

Julie rolled her eyes at this display of _total maturity_ as she got off the couch. Spike had set the remote down on the couch's armrest so he could use both hands to tickle Buffy. Julie snatched it up, and switched off the TV. Neither Buffy nor Spike seemed to notice as the tickle war continued, Buffy not exacting her revenge while trying to keep Spike's advances at bay.

"Come on." Julie took Angel's hand, leading him out of the mansion. Buffy and Spike obviously were going to be at it for some time, and Julie was pretty sure that the tickling would slowly deteriorate into sex. She really didn't want to be around for that.

"Where are we going?" Angel asked once they were outside. It was a warm, clear night, perfect for a walk. Anything to get away from the other couple. With Spike on the mend, the mansion was suddenly feeling crowded.

"I figured we could go for a walk; possibly do the rounds through a few cemeteries. That is if you are feeling up to it." Julie quickly added. She didn't know how tired the two mile walk into town would make Angel, and she really didn't want to put him in any danger unless it couldn't be avoided.

"I feel fine right now." Angel could tell that Julie was worried, but he really needed to do something...anything...before he started to take his pent up energy out on Spike. "I need a change of scenery."

"We'll see about patrolling later." Julie said. She smiled up at Angel as she reached for his hand, weaving her fingers through his. "For now, let's just walk."

"Sounds good." Angel gave Julie's hand a squeeze as he kissed her forehead. They began the long walk into town, perfectly content with each other's company.

* * *

"Where do you think they went?" Buffy asked. She and Spike had finally called a truce, and were just now noticing that Angel and Julie were gone.

"I have no clue." Spike ran his hands up the outsides of Buffy's thighs. She was still straddling his lap, her arms looped around his neck. "I don't think they are in the house anymore, though."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Buffy grinned down at her lover. She rested her forehead against his, looking deep into his eyes. She trailed her hands down his chest, slowly working on the buttons of his favourite red shirt.

"What do say we move this upstairs?" Spike suggested, knowing exactly where her mind was going. "I don't think both Angel and Julie need to become jealous."

"Jealous? What are you talking about?" Buffy's fingers paused briefly in the middle of undoing a button. She regarded him with curiosity at his statement. "What would they be jealous of?"

"They clearly haven't had sex yet." Spike rolled his eyes. Buffy could be so daft at times. It earned him a playful smack on the chest before she went back to work on the buttons. "Upstairs?"

"Okay, okay." Buffy began to climb off his lap, but Spike wouldn't have it. He held her ass as he stood up with every intention of carrying her up the stairs. "I don't think this is such a good idea... You're still recovering."

"Can't a bloke make a romantic gesture?" Spike grumbled, moving to set Buffy down at the base of the stairs. He wasn't about to carry her if she was going to protest and not appreciate it. Buffy wrapped her legs tightly around his waist to stop him from letting her down.

"Just voicing my concerns. Carry on if you feel up to it." Buffy grinned at Spike, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

About halfway up the stairs, Buffy couldn't resist the temptation anymore. She could feel Spike's hardening cock between their bodies, and she couldn't help but grind her hips against him. Spike's groan was lost in Buffy's mouth as she kissed him furiously. She felt like she hadn't been with him in forever, and her body was responding instinctively to the closeness.

"Been...too...long." Buffy said between heated kisses. She pulled away to breathe, gasping as Spike's mouth moved down the column of her throat, nipping and sucking gently. "Spike..."

They were both thankful that they had left their bedroom door open, so there was no pausing to wrestle with the door handle. Spike kicked it closed behind them as he walked them straight to the bed. There was a scramble to get their clothes off. Their need was suddenly too great that some of their clothes took the brunt of their frustration.

There were quick promises made to buy more clothes, but soon the urge to talk was overthrown by their passion. Soon they were panting, and gasping each other's name. They moved in time with each other in perfect harmony. They clung to one another as though this would be their final farewell.

Buffy never felt move alive. Sure when Spike was a vampire, the sex had been amazing. But that first time with Spike as a human blew all the other nights of fiery passion out of the water. She didn't know whether to scream out in ecstasy or cry with joy. So she did both.

"Are you okay, luv?" Spike asked after as they lay in each other's arms. Buffy lay across his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating steadily. She tilted her head to look at him as his fingers began to stroke her hair. "Being awfully quiet."

"Sorry. I just don't know what to say." Buffy kissed the scar from when Spike had his soul returned to him. She caught the worry that flashed across his features. "Spike...that was...absolutely amazing."

"Really? You're not upset?" Spike asked hopefully, causing Buffy to pull away. She sat up slightly, looking down at him with a frown on her beautiful face.

"Why would I be upset?" Buffy paused to think for a minute, but couldn't come up with an answer. "That was probably the best sex we've ever had, and we had it for all the _right_ reasons. How could that possibly upset me?"

"As if you didn't notice that being a human has changed the sex." Spike scoffed. He watched as anger replaced the calm look on Buffy's face. Throwing the covers back, she got out of bed. "Where are you going, luv?"

"Don't 'luv' me, Spike." Buffy hissed as she pulled on a pair of sweat pants. She spun to face him when she heard him sit up. "How dare you ruin this moment for me. How dare you scoff at the best moment of my life?"

"What are you talking about?" Spike started to get up as Buffy tugged on a tank top. She couldn't have this conversation while she was naked. He reached for her, but she turned her back on him. "Come on, Buffy. I didn't mean it that way."

"Then why did you say it?" Buffy glared at him in the mirror as she tied her hair back in a pony tail.

"I'm human now, Buffy. I can't do anything the way I used to. Why would sex be any different?" Spike shot back. He tried to keep his unexplained anger at bay, but his confusion over the situation was letting his rage through.

"That doesn't mean I didn't love it." Buffy spun around to glare at Spike face to face. She stepped up to him. "If you don't want to be human then why did you go through with the spell? Ever since you changed, you've been grumbling about how being a human sucks. You knew what it would be like. You knew what you would lose, but you did it anyway. Why?"

"Because you—" Spike was cut off with a slap to the face. He grabbed his cheek as he looked at Buffy in shock. From the anger on her face, he could tell she wanted to do more than just slap him.

"Don't you dare blame me for this!" Buffy hissed, poking him bruisingly hard in the chest. "The decision was all yours; I didn't force it on you. In fact, if I recall correctly, I didn't want you to do this."

Spike opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off again, this time by the door bursting open. Buffy and Spike were startled out of their anger as Julie and Angel walked into the room.

"We have a problem." Julie said, ignoring the fact that Spike was naked. There were more important things happening than whatever Spike and Buffy had obviously been arguing about.

"Jeez, Spike. Do you always have to be naked?" Angel covered his eyes as though he was suddenly blinded. He wasn't as cool with the whole naked thing. Spike rolled his eyes, but wrapped the sheet around him anyway. "Thank you."

"It's not like it is anything you haven't seen." Spike pointed out purely to annoy the older male. Angel growled in disgust at the memory.

"Focus guys." Julie clapped her hands, returning everyone's attention back to her. "This is bigger than Spike being naked or Angel and him having a past of questionable morals."

"What's up?" Buffy tried to sound less rattled than she felt. Her rage had shaken her up, and she still felt disoriented because of it.

"What's wrong?" Julie looked at Buffy with concern, her previous concern paling for the moment. Buffy didn't fight it as Julie gently invaded her mind. She skipped over a lot of it, trying to ignore the skin on skin action. Julie blinked once after she was done reviewing what had been said, and began to clap sarcastically. "Well done, Spike."

"What did you tell her?" Spike turned to face Buffy again, sounding agitated. This time his anger could barely be contained. Julie could feel it humming beneath his skin, and the air in the room was charged with tension.

"Don't blame her." Julie took a step closer to the couple. She wanted nothing more than to yell at Spike for his idiocy. "She has every right to be mad at you. You knew the risks of becoming human, so deal with it. Nothing can be done about it now; you are stuck as a human. Now can we please get back to our other problem?"

"What's wrong now?" Buffy sighed. Her life was one problem after the next it seemed. Was there no reprieve? "Is Valhalla in town?"

"No, but this is something just as huge." Julie glanced over her shoulder at Angel. He nodded that it was time to tell them. "Angel is a vampire."

"What? How can that be right?" Buffy asked immediately. All eyes turned to Angel, who seemed to be embarrassed by his little problem. "But his heart is beating. I heard it myself when you got me to check on him."

"His heart is beating still, but there is no mistaking that he phased into game face." Julie told them. She could only think of one reason as to why Angel was still a vampire. "Alvera must've not have fixed him when we thought she had."

"Does that mean I'm...?" Spike asked quietly. He didn't want to hope too much, but he couldn't help his spirits lifting. He wanted to be happy as a human, but he wanted all his strengths back as well.

"No, she didn't even attempt the same thing on you as she did Angel." Julie shook her head. She felt guilty for keeping his thoughts to herself and not telling Buffy, but now was not the time for them to be having that argument. She just hoped Spike would voice his opinions soon, so they could all get past it without much harm done.

"Wait, why did Angel switch to game face?" Buffy asked as she thought back over what had already been said. She seemed oblivious to Julie's guilt, which was a very good thing.

"We did a sweep through a cemetery on our way home." Julie told the blonde couple. "We figured it would make sense to patrol since we were cutting through that cemetery."

"A group of vampires jumped us." Angel continued before Buffy could ask. "All of them are dust now, but they seemed experienced."

"Of course, they were expecting the Slayer. They seemed a tad disappointed that I wasn't you." Julie grinned evilly. She could still see the look of shock on the one vamp's face as she staked him. "Everything was fine until we both realized what had happened during the fight."

"What are we going to do?" Buffy sat on the edge of her bed, dropping her head into her hands. For once she would love to have something, anything, be easy for her. Spike sat down beside her, and tried to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders, but she just shrugged out of it.

"We still have Spike to do the task, so there isn't a problem there." Julie assured Buffy. "Being a vampire raises a lot of questions about what he can and cannot do. Sunlight, crosses, stakes, his soul? All very important things."

"The stake will be a little hard to test, as well as his soul, but the other two seem easy." Buffy followed Julie's example, and tried to look on the good side of things.

"Gods, Spike." Julie glared at the ex-vampire, obviously upset with something he had thought. Angel stepped up close behind Julie as a show of support if anything were to happen. It was a habit of his now. Julie managed to ignore Spike long enough to turn briefly to Buffy. "You and Spike have a lot to discuss, so Angel and I will be going. Don't worry about this half-vampire thing; I'll figure it out."

"What were you thinking about?" Buffy sighed. She didn't really feel up to arguing things out with Spike right that second. But she also knew that the longer they put it off, the more upset they would get. "You obviously did something to piss her off."

"Yeah, well maybe she should stay out of other people's minds." Spike grumbled. He was tired of having the same fight over and over again. "And I know that she can't help it, but she ever think of trying harder?"

"What has gotten into you?" Buffy's eyes widened in shock as she began to see just how much Spike had changed since becoming a human. "You've been moody since you woke up that first time. Are you seriously that upset about not being a vampire anymore?"

"You don't know what it's like to not have your powers anymore." Spike pointed a finger at her. "You don't know what it's like to have all those things you took pride in before to be gone. My strength, my speed, my eyesight, my hearing, the fear I instilled in others...all gone now."

"How dare you think that I haven't gone through losing my powers?" Buffy felt the familiar burn of tears behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "At least you were warned. At least you weren't instantly thrown into a life-or-death situation. You had the chance to gain some strength back before having to fight for your life. So shut up, Spike, because you know nothing."

Buffy moved to leave the room, not able to handle the sight of Spike anymore. Spike grabbed her arm before she could escape. She could have easily brushed him off, but the feel of his warm hand on her skin made her melt. She turned to face him, the burn of tears becoming fiercer.

"I'm so sorry, pet." Spike pulled her to his body. He hated to see her cry, even when he was mad at her. "I bollocks things up all the time; this time is no exception. I'm still adjusting to all this. Please, pet, don't cry."

"I love you, Spike." Buffy mumbled into his bare chest. She didn't know what else to say. She just wanted to forget about the whole fight, but she knew they had a lot to talk about.

"Love you, too, pet." Spike kissed the top of her head. "Come on, let's just you to bed. It's been a long day."

"For both of us." Buffy agreed, allowing Spike to help her into bed. She felt suddenly drained of energy as she crawled under the covers. Spike spooned up against her back, wrapping her up in his arms. "Good night, Spike."

"Good night, luv." Spike spoke softly. He silently wished he could hear her heart beat as she fell asleep. As if reading his mind, Buffy held his hand over her heart so he could feel it. "Thank you."

* * *

"Well at least we know you aren't affected by crosses." Julie sighed as Angel handed her back her cross necklace. Testing all this out was making her nervous, which she knew Angel was picking up on. "At least this explains why you could hear me even when I was barely whispering."

"And the fact that sometimes in the middle of the night while we slept, your blood sang to me." Angel mumbled, hating to admit it. Julie had known there was something bothering Angel when he would practically run to the other side of the bed in the middle of the night.

"Why didn't you tell me anything?" Julie asked before she could stop herself. She didn't want to sound like she was accusing him or something like that. She just didn't understand why he felt he had to keep that from her. "You could have told me."

"I didn't know what was wrong with me." Angel insisted, worry lining his features. Julie reached out to touch Angel. She needed him to feel like he could tell her anything. He looked at her through lowered dark lashes when she laid a gentle hand on his forearm. "I didn't want to worry you in case it turned out to be nothing."

"Angel, I love you, but you have to let me know these kinds of things right away." Julie tried to look below his lashes so she could see his eyes clearly. "Otherwise I won't be able to help in the future. Imagine what could've happened if you had been around some innocent person and you got mad. You may have attacked someone without knowing why. Not to mention the Altar of Christ would have killed you."

Julie leaned in to kiss his forehead before getting up. She puttered around the room, straightening things up so she wouldn't have to do them in the morning. She also just felt like she had to be doing something. She needed to think, and she couldn't do that sitting next to Angel.

"Julie, stop." Angel begged as he watched her move about the room. He got up when she ignored him. He walked up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist, while covering her hand with his free one as she started to shuffle candles around. "Please stop. Talk to me, Julie. What's going through your head?"

"I failed, Angel." Julie admitted softly. She let her hands fall to her sides in a defeated way. "I messed up big time. Alvera was my idea, and if you want to blame anyone for this, it should be me. I should have looked the spell over. I should have paid more attention where she was concerned. This shouldn't have happened."

"I'm not going to blame you." Angel chuckled quietly as he turned Julie in his arms to face him. Her ramblings were sounding ridiculous. "Alvera may have been your idea, but I would never blame you for what has happened to me. She did the spell, not you. What happened to my girlfriend that she is now blaming herself for things that are beyond her?"

"I don't know. But I miss the old her." Julie attempted weakly to lighten the mood. She looked up at Angel, and offered him a half smile. She leaned into Angel's touch as he brushed his fingers down the side of her face.

"I hope she comes back soon." Angel's hand paused on Julie's neck, and she knew he was listening to her pulse. Before she could think more of it, his hand continued down, stopping at the top of her button-up plaid shirt.

"Me too." Julie's smile brightened. She reached up to grab the collar of Angel's shirt, pulling his face closer to hers. She kissed him furiously, letting all her pent up energy into the kiss. It was easy to forget why she was so upset with his lips on her.

"What about my...?" Angel started to ask when Julie pulled away so they could catch their breath. Before he could finish his question, though, she was kissing him again.

"We'll take the risk." Julie said as she and Angel fumbled with each other's clothing. As they fought with their clothes, they guided each other to the bed.

Julie wasn't exactly sure why she was agreeing to this, but she didn't seem to be able to stop. Even with these thoughts in her head, she pulled Angel over her body. The pressure of his body on top of hers was enough to spur the doubt right out of her mind. It also was enough to make them shed the last of their clothing.

That first time wasn't romantic in any way. The two lovers clung to each other almost painfully, afraid to let go. Though Angel tried to be gentle, it was very hard for him to hold back. It didn't help that Julie was his lover. She seemed to bring out the demon in him, and for some reason that didn't bother him all that much.

So with a lot of hard thrusts, clawing hands, and growling cries they drove each other to and over the edge. Angel swallowed Julie's cries with a passion-driven kiss. He followed soon after, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

"Soul still there?" Julie asked after taking a moment to catch her breath. Angel kept his face tucked against her neck as she began to stroke his hair. She lazily ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head when she felt him nod. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Angel lifted his head to look down at her. He brushed a strand of hair off her forehead in a loving way, completely different than the lust and passion he had just shown her. He started to move off her body, but Julie held him in place.

"Don't; I like you here." Julie insisted when Angel gave her an inquiring look. Julie played with a lock of brown hair that had fallen on to Angel's forehead. "I can feel your heart beat like this."

"How about like this?" Angel rolled, pulling Julie with him. He lay on his back with Julie fully on top of him. She had her ear to his chest where she could hear the steady beating of his heart. He drew designs at random on her bare back.

"This is nice." Julie mumbled, snuggling into his body more. She couldn't think of a better word to describe that moment. It wasn't mind blowing or amazing... it was simple, calming, nice. Angel's hands on her back sent shivers through her body.

"Are you cold?" Angel asked, his hands flattening against her back, trying to cover as much of her skin as possible. He threw an arm out to the side, and pulled the comforter over their bodies. "Better?"

"Much." Julie sighed as Angel returned to drawing patterns on her back. She kissed his chest at the same time she felt him press a kiss into her hair. "Promise to wake me up if you feel your soul leaving?"

"Promise." Angel whispered. He could feel Julie's breathing slow as she began to drift off. It was a comforting feeling to still be able to hear and feel and smell the same as he had when he was a vampire. It just bothered him that he was still part of that monster.

"Try not to think too much on it. At least not tonight." Julie's words were slurred by sleep. The moments before she fell asleep were always the hardest for her, because she couldn't stop herself from hearing other minds. "I love you either way, Angel. Just remember that. Good night."

"Good night, my love." Angel responded quietly as he felt Julie drift off completely. He couldn't help but think about all the problems, though, but Julie was right. He should leave the thoughts alone for a better time.

* * *

Julie stretched languorously the next morning. Her entire body ached pleasantly. It was in her search for Angel's body to cuddle up to that she realized that his side of the bed was cold, and he was gone. Slowly, she opened her eyes, not wanting to burn them with sunlight as she rolled on to her back again.

Sunlight? Julie's eyes snapped fully open, and she looked around the room. The heavy curtains had been thrown back, and the windowed doors out to the balcony were open. Standing out in the sunlight of the early morning was Angel. Not seeing any burns or smoke, Julie relaxed, and just watched him.

Angel had his back to her, leaning against the balcony railing. He wore a pair of black sweat pants and no shirt. His pale skin seemed even whiter in the light. He seemed to glow. His dark hair only added to the effect, contrasting greatly with his snowy skin.

As Julie got up, she wrapped the black satin sheet around her naked body. She padded silently out on to the balcony to join her lover in the sun. Angel didn't know she had woken up until she had her arms wrapped around his waist. She laid her cheek on his warm back.

"Good morning." Julie mumbled, kissing between his shoulder blades. Angel turned in her arms to give her a proper good morning kiss. Julie melted into him, enjoying the warmth of his embrace after waking up in a cold bed. "Why are you up so early?"

"You said that dawn was the only time I should risk blinding myself." Angel chuckled, resting back against the railing with his arms still around her waist. "So here I am, enjoying the sun, and the birds, and the nice morning breeze."

"Not being dust is also a plus." Julie couldn't help but laugh along with Angel. His good mood was infectious. As her laughter died down, Julie placed a hand on his chest both as a comfort and as a stabilizer. Her legs still felt like jelly after last night, and she just wanted to make sure his heart was still pumping away. "Come back to bed with me. I'm not quite ready to wake up yet."

"Neither am I." Angel agreed, scooping his girlfriend up into his arms. It was then that Julie realized he still had a lot of his vampire strength. He hadn't been affected too badly by the spell.

Angel laid her on the bed gently, climbing in beside her. He propped himself up on an elbow, leaving his other hand free to play with her hair. Julie lay on her back, smiling up at him. This moment reminded her greatly of the one they had shared after they had made love. She took Angel's hand away from her hair, and kissed his palm.

"I know you've dealt with a lot since meeting me, and I just want to say thank you." Julie held a finger to his lips when Angel tried to speak. "You've put up with all my quirkiness, and all my mood swings. It means a lot to me that you did all that. Actually everyone has been wonderful, but especially you. You took me in with next to no questions, and you loved me."

"Of course I love you." Angel pulled her hand way from his mouth so he could say something. Julie was starting to sound crazy, and that was saying a lot for her. "How can I not? I like to think that you are and always have been my destiny. Buffy and you were meant to split apart, therefore allowing Spike and I to each get what we don't deserve but deeply desire."

"I don't deserve—" Julie started to protest, but it was Angel's turn to stop her from talking. However he stopped her with a kiss.

"Don't ever try to tell me that you don't deserve something." Angel said when he pulled away. Julie opened her mouth to protest, but Angel, again, put the protest on hold with a kiss.

"Spike and Buffy are on their way over." Julie said after complying with his demand. Angel nodded that he could hear them too.

Sure enough there was a soft knock on the door. It was followed a few moments later by a loud, more demanding one. Julie struggled to get up without losing the sheet she was now using as a dress. Angel let her struggle, lying back on the bed with a laugh. The knocking persisted as Julie pulled the last of the sheet out from under Angel's body.

"What took you so long?" Spike complained once Julie opened the door. She glared at him as he pushed his way into the bedroom. Buffy was a little more polite, smiling a good morning at Julie as she passed.

"She got caught up." Angel teased from the bed. He leaned against the head board. It was a good thing he still had quick reflexes or he would have caught a demonology text in the face. "Now, now, Julie. There is no need to be throwing around precious books."

"Are you sure you didn't lose your soul?" Julie teased back a little harshly. However, as soon as the words were out of her mouth, they became more serious. She eyes him critically for a long moment, checking over everything. His soul was intact, much to her relief.

"Pay up, Slayer." Spike caught Julie's attention, breaking her trance. Buffy pouted, trying to get out of this part of the bet. Spike, however, wouldn't have it. He just shook his head, holding out his hand.

"What did you bet on?" Angel asked curiously. He had never known Buffy to be the gambling type, even with Julie—the more sinful half—a part of her.

"You guys need lives." Julie rolled her eyes, obviously not having to ask to know the answer. This still left Angel out of the loop, though, which he didn't really like. Julie took pity on him. "They had a bet to going on whether or not we would sleep together last night."

"Julie's right; you do need lives." Angel agreed. Spike shrugged, not really concerned about what the other couple thought. Buffy had given him the money, so he was happy. "So what do you want? You must have been kicking down our door for some reason."

"Well, seeing as this place is now full of overly large egos, I think it is time for Spike and I to head home." Buffy told them her thoughts. Spike nodded in complete agreement. They had already discussed the idea of leaving earlier that morning. "Spike is healed enough, and I think it would be better for us all if we left."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Buffy." Julie hesitated. Though Buffy had a point about the mansion suddenly not being big enough for all of them, she didn't like the idea of them leaving. The whole point of Spike and her being there was to make it easier to protect them from Valhalla. "Valhalla still hasn't shown up yet, and though Spike may be recovered enough to walk around and stay awake for more than a few hours, he still isn't up to taking on the demon lord by our side. I still say it is best for him to stay here."

"Well, when do you think he is going to show up? Conner told us it would be within the week, but it's been a week and he still isn't here." Buffy pointed out. Something in what she said clicked in Julie's head.

"Maybe he found out about Conner." Julie gasped as realization hit her. It made sense that Valhalla wanted to at least have some element of surprise when he came to take the Eye back. "He linked himself to Conner so that he would be able to get close enough to me to take my powers away. That would mean also that he..."

"Would be able to know that we used a truth spell on Conner." Buffy finished as it dawned on her how this could all happen. "That means we don't know when or if he is coming."

"Oh, you can be certain that he is going to come to Sunnydale." Julie insisted. If she knew the demon lord as well as she thought she did, then she knew that he would be wanting revenge as well as the Eye of Eden back. "I have no idea when, but he will want the ring back as well as my head on a silver platter."

"So what do we do? There is no way we are going to survive much longer living together." Buffy brought the conversation full circle, going back to the original concern that brought them to Angel and Julie's room.

"First, before we do anything else, I think I should take Spike with me to go pay Conner a little visit." Julie thought for a long minute. Angel, Spike, and Buffy all opened their mouths to protest, but Julie held up a silencing hand. "I don't want Angel involved, and I need Buffy to round up the others. They should know about this. When Valhalla shows up, he won't waste any time in attacking me. I want to make sure that you all are ready for whatever comes."

"Why does Spike get to go with you?" Buffy asked, upset that she had the lame job of gathering people together. She wanted to question Conner.

"Conner still likes you, Buffy. I don't want him hating us all." Julie heard Buffy's thoughts, and decided to put them to rest. "Conner already hates Spike and I, so there isn't any damage done there. Besides Spike needs to get out of this house."

"Sparks has a point, pet." Spike turned to Buffy. Her shock was evident on her face. Not only was Spike agreeing with Julie, but he had also given her a nickname. He must be accepting her more than Buffy thought.

"Sparks?" Julie crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow. Spike grinned over at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"For your sparky personality, luv." Spike's grin widened when Julie snorted. "When should we leave?"

"Give me a minute to get dressed, and then we'll head out." Julie made a shooing gesture. She still had only a sheet on, and she didn't think that it would be a good idea to go see Conner with next to nothing on.

Spike and Buffy left the room. Bickering could be heard as soon as the door was shut. From what Julie could gather, it was about her new nickname and how Spike was so confusing sometimes. Julie couldn't agree more. The bleached blonde was growing on her, though, but this 'Sparks' thing was just plain weird.

"You know I need to see him at some point." Angel spoke softly. He wasn't angry with Julie for leaving him out of this, but he didn't want her to feel like she had to constantly protect the already fragile relationship he had with his estranged son.

"I know, but I don't think it should be when we are asking him questions that might upset him." Julie looked over her shoulder at Angel as she began to search through the dresser for clothes. "You shouldn't have to face his anger for that."

"Julie, I know you want us to not be upset with each other, but you have to remember that Conner threw me in the ocean tied up." Angel gently reminded Julie as he got off the bed. He came to stand in front of her, looking deep into her blue-grey eyes. "Our relationship has always been rocky, and it probably always will be. You can't change that."

"I know, but as long as I am around, I don't want there to be hostility because of me." Julie mumbled. She didn't care how much Angel tried to reassure her that this wasn't her fault, she knew it was. Valhalla can't enhance anger if it wasn't there to begin with.

"Julie..." Angel sighed, ready to argue this all over again, but not really wanting to. He ran his hands up and down Julie's arms in a soothing way. "We would have eventually had something come between us. You just had the misfortune of being that person."

"I know, but I still feel terrible." Julie offered Angel a half smile before she turned back to hunting for clothes. She pulled out a pair of black panties and matching bra triumphantly. Her excited look caused Angel to laugh and shake his head.

"Which band are you thinking about today?" Angel asked, referring to all the band t-shirts Julie seemed to own. That was all she wore; a band t-shirt of some sort and cargo pants. Sometimes she tossed in a pair of jeans, but it was mostly cargo pants. Her reasoning for that was she could fight in them easier, they were cheaper, and they could be fixed without a huge hassle.

"Something tough, punk." Julie rifled through her t-shirt drawer. She obviously knew exactly which shirt she was looking for. "The Ramones."

"Oh no." Angel smacked his forehead. Julie held in her hands a black t-shirt with the Ramones logo on the front. Spike was going to worship her, and probably never shut up about it either.

"What? You don't like the Ramones?" Julie asked as she began to get dressed. She looked slightly offended that he didn't like her choice of music. "How can you not like them?"

"It's not that I don't like them. It's that a certain peroxide ex-vampire happens to idolize them." Angel was quick to amend his mistake.

"Spike likes the Ramones?" Julie asked as she pulled on her shirt. She shrugged; the more she thought about it, the more she could see him liking the punk band. "I bet he likes the Sex Pistols too then."

"Loves them is more like it." Angel corrected, handing Julie her purse. She accepted it with a quick kiss. "I'll see you later, beloved."

"Don't go crazy with me gone." Julie winked at him over her shoulder as she put her sunglasses on. Angel rolled his eyes, and went back to bed. He was starting to feel the effects of last night's events and his early morning today.

"Whoa, going for a more Billy Idol look today?" Julie joked when she got out into the hallway. Spike was waiting for her, and it was obvious that he had just grabbed the quickest shower of his un-life. Julie was referring to his wild hair shooting straight off his head—very much like Billy Idol.

"I'll have you know that he got his look from me." Spike said proudly. Still he smoothed down his hair. It was only wild, because he just ran a towel over it in a weak attempt to dry it better. "Not that I can blame him."

"And he's humble too." Julie teased as they headed down the stairs. It was then that Spike noticed her shirt. He couldn't tear his eyes away from it. He never would have guessed that this Australian woman liked the Ramones. They didn't seem like her type. "I take it you approve of my shirt."

"You like the Ramones?" Spike asked slowly, trying to comprehend it. It just wasn't processing in his head. Sure he had seen her wear a lot of different band shirts over the time they had known each other, but Spike had never thought it possible for her to own a Ramones t-shirt. "I'm sorry, but you like the Ramones?"

"Of course, but they definitely weren't appreciated enough in their time." Julie said, making herself sound totally amazing to Spike. He felt the exact same way. "You might want to wipe the drool off your chin."

"Ha ha, very funny, _Sparks_." Spike rolled his eyes. She had effectively broken his trance, bringing him back to the task at hand. "So what all are we trying to find out from the boy?"

"Everything we possibly can. The more I know, the better it is for all of us." Julie's voice changed drastically as she thought about the upcoming interrogation. Her tone became edgier, and it had more malice in it. If Spike hadn't been expecting her to act like this, he would have been worried.

"So what are we taking?" Spike asked, trying to divert Julie's focus even a little.

"The Porsche." Spike's plan hadn't worked if the look on her face was any indication. She scooped up the appropriate keys on their way to the door. Julie handed Spike a pair of sunglasses before he stepped out into the light. "I don't want you going blind on me. It wouldn't be very intimidating if you were."

Spike was happy to discover that Julie was listening to the Sex Pistols in Angel's Porsche. It kept him from talking, but not from singing. Julie didn't mind that much, because she was tapping the steering wheel as well as singing along. Besides the car ride was over quick thanks to Julie's driving.

"Julie! Spike! You guys are up early." Dawn looked genuinely surprised when she answered the door. She moved out of the doorway to let them in. "Spike, you look healthy. How do you feel?"

"Alive." Spike grinned as he took off his new sunglasses. Dawn rolled her eyes at his joke, following them into the living room.

"Dawn, where is Conner?" Julie asked, turning to face the teenager. 'We really need to speak with him about a few important things."

"He's upstairs sleeping." Dawn didn't know that she had just given away crucial information. Julie and Spike headed for the stairs quickly and without another word. "Why? He didn't do anything wrong."

"Dawn, stay downstairs!" Julie told Dawn sharply, knowing she would obey. Dawn didn't want to anger the Anti-Slayer ever again. "You don't need to be involved with this."

It didn't take them long to find Conner's room. It was Buffy's old room. What surprised Julie was that he even had a room in this house. Conner didn't wake up when Julie threw open the door, letting it hit the wall hard. She didn't care if she woke him up suddenly or not, as long as she got her answers.

As if feeling their eyes on him, Conner slowly began to wake up. Spike and Julie were standing at his bedside with their arms crossed, not looking very happy. Quickly, he sat up in shock, slightly flinching away from the blonde duo.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." Julie said, not sounding too happy either. Conner stretched, and took his sweet time waking up. "Where is he, Conner?"

"Where's who?" Angel's son asked sleepily. He covered his mouth to yawn and stretched again, completely unconcerned that Julie was clearly angry.

"Valhalla, Conner. Where is he?" Julie grabbed Conner's wrist that was stretched above his head. Her grip only tightened the more Conner struggled to get loose. "Tell me why he isn't here yet."

"I told you all I know already." Conner said through clenched teeth. He could feel his bones starting to give way under Julie's vice-like grip. "I don't know why he isn't here yet."

"He's lying." Spike told Julie. He wanted answer just as badly as Julie did. It was obvious the kid was lying, because he couldn't think beyond his pain. "Maybe you should let up a little."

"What sort of connection did Valhalla make with you?" Julie followed Spike's suggestion, and loosened her grip on Conner's wrist. Already ugly bruises were surfacing, but she wasn't concerned about them.

"I don't know." Conner dared to say. Julie tightened her grip again a minuscule amount as a warning. "I don't know what it was called. All I know is that he basically used me to get close enough to you so he could take away your powers."

"Kind of like a messenger." Julie nodded. That sounded like something Valhalla would do. "When did you feel the connection start to weaken? And think hard about your answer."

"Lie to us, and lose your hand." Spike added a threat of his own to make sure Conner understood the consequences fully, and took them to heart.

"Around the same time as the truth spell wore off." Conner responded after giving it a lot of thought. He didn't want to lose his hand; he liked his hand. "At least that's when I first noticed that it had gotten weaker."

"What did Valhalla look like when you saw him last?" Julie asked in all seriousness. The demon lord could only change his appearance every so often, but he never passed up his chance to do so. Last she had seen of him, he looked a lot like the Hindu god Shiva, which got him a lot of attention in Asia.

"He looked like...an Italian businessman." Conner could clearly picture the demon lord in his head dressed in a fancy pinstriped Armani suit, acting all professional. "A young Italian businessman."

"Good." Julie sighed in relief. If Conner had seen him as something other than Shiva, there was a good chance that Valhalla was still Italian. "You're not still connected with him, are you?"

"Nope, I haven't been for a few days now." Conner sounded somewhat proud about that. No other incident had happened while Valhalla was still linked to him.

"So why are you still here?" Julie asked perplexed. She would have thought that Conner would have disappeared once he was safe to go. She couldn't think of a reason for him to stick around unless he wanted to apologize to his father. Somehow Julie doubted that, though. As Angel had said, they didn't exactly have the best relationship.

"You mean you don't know?" It was Conner's turn to be confused. His mind never strayed very far from his reason for staying. He would have thought that Julie would know by now why he stayed.

"Why would I go into your mind again? To risk my powers again?" Julie raised an eyebrow as she snorted. "Yeah right. I definitely don't want to go down that road ever again."

"You got your powers back?" Conner had a look between panic and shock on his face. Julie dropped his hand as though it burned her as Conner tried to force his mind on her. "Do you know what that means?"

"Obviously not." Spike growled. The sound astonished all of them in the room. Spike was no longer a vampire, but apparently that didn't stop him from still being able to growl like one. Spike looked genuinely surprised to hear it come from his mouth.

"Valhalla has landed in California." Conner told them, afraid that Spike might do something else vampiric, like rip out his throat. "The spell he use to take your powers was supposed to return them either in a couple of weeks or when ever Valhalla came to the States."

"How come you didn't tell us that before?" Julie grabbed Conner, this time by the throat and not by the wrist. She forced him to look deep into her eyes so he could see into Hell as her anger flared in her. "How were you able to lie after drinking the truth serum?"

"I didn't lie." Conner managed to choke out as Julie's hand tightened a tiny bit with each word. "I didn't know."

"How could you not know then, but suddenly know now?" Spike asked when Julie didn't speak. She was concentrating very hard on not crushing Conner's windpipe. It was taking all her willpower not to kill him.

"I suspected it when I heard him casting the spell." Conner was starting to turn a reddish blue colour from lack of oxygen. Spike placed a hand on Julie's arm, getting her to loosen her hold just enough to let some air into Conner's lungs. "But I didn't know for sure until just now. I swear."

"Why didn't you tell us what you had suspected?" Spike again asked for both of them. Julie was trying really hard not to tighten her grip again, allowing Conner to answer the questions.

"I was mad when we last talked, and you haven't been around to visit since you guys tied me up in the kitchen." Conner tried not to sound accusing, but Julie caught on to it easily.

"You could have come to us to tell us your suspicions." Julie released Conner, knowing that she wouldn't be able to talk and hold off on choking him at the same time. "Look, I'm sorry that you feel threatened by me, Conner, but this thing I have with Angel has been a long time coming. It's not just going to go away either. I'm sticking around, Conner, and I'm sorry if you don't like that, but you are just going to have to deal with that."

"She has a point, Conner." Spike spoke up. "It's kind of been written in stone that those two belong together. You may be able to hold a grudge for a long time, but with them being immortal for now, I don't think it'll do much in the long run. You'll only be hurting your chances of being in your father's good graces."

"Do you really think I'm going to listen to either of you?" Conner snorted after a long moment. "I'll never forgive either of you for what you have done."

"I give up." Julie threw her hands up in frustration. She and Spike turned to leave the room, but before they left Julie waved her hand around casually. There was no mistaking the sound of locks clicking shut around the room. "Take all the time you need to think about what you've just done. Dawn won't be very happy that you destroyed her family."

"Dawn?" Spike asked as they closed the door behind them, officially locking Conner into the bedroom. "What does the lil bit have to do with all this?"

"Conner has a thing for her." Julie told Spike just as casually as she had cast the spell to lock Conner up. "Don't worry, Spike. Dawn reciprocates the feelings."

"What?" Spike sounded outraged by this new discovery. He paused at the top of the stairs, contemplating turning around to go kill the boy. Dawn wasn't allowed to see Conner, especially Conner. "What happened to Shawn?"

"Who?" Julie asked, not having a clue as to what Spike was talking about. She hadn't heard anything about a Shawn in Dawn's mind. Since they had walked in most of Dawn's thoughts had been based around Conner. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Dawn went on a date last week with a guy she seemed pretty in to." Spike explained. He wasn't too happy about the fact that Dawn was dating at all, but he would rather she date someone like Shawn than Conner. At least then she would have something normal in her life.

"Something must be drawing her to Conner, or she just ended up not liking this other guy." Julie shrugged. She would look into it later. There were more important things to concentrate on than who Dawn had a crush on and who she didn't.

"What did you do to him?" Dawn appeared at the bottom of the stairs. She looked beyond angry; Spike had never seen her like this. She had obviously been waiting for them. She was leaning against the door jamb, tapping her foot with her arms crossed. She straightened when she saw them.

"Nothing that concerns you." Julie brushed Dawn off with ease. She pulled out her cell phone to call Buffy, figuring that she was done with the teen. Dawn had a different idea, though, and she snatched Julie's phone away from her. "What do you want me to tell you? Do you want me to tell you that I almost choked your boyfriend to death? That I almost broke his wrist? Fine, that's what happened up there."

"You can't just do that to whoever you think deserves it." Dawn's eyes glistened with angry tears as she processed what Julie was telling her. "You can't just go around choking people and breaking their bones. The real world doesn't work that way."

"Dawn..." Spike started to explain, but Julie held up her hand to stop him. Though Spike didn't think it was such a good idea to let Julie explain her actions, he didn't want to stand her way.

"I can treat whoever I want however I want, and you know why?" Julie's voice was low and dangerous sounding. Dawn instinctively backed up a step, knowing that she had pushed Julie possibly too far. "I can do all that, because I have the pleasure of being able to see a person's soul, and that means I get to know who deserves what. Conner deserved every bit of what he got, possibly more, whether you want to believe it or not."

"Dawn, he's fine. A little shaken maybe, but he's fine." Spike assured Dawn, deciding that for now he would let go of the fact that she was seeing the boy. "I'm not taking Julie's side in this, but the boy did deserve the treatment we gave him."

"Besides, Conner was withholding important information from us concerning Valhalla." Julie took her phone back from Dawn when she wasn't expecting it. Flipping it open, she went into the dining room, leaving Dawn and Spike alone in the hallway.

"She better not have hurt him, or I'll..." Dawn trailed of, not sure what threat would work on Julie. Spike raised an eyebrow as he waited for Dawn to realize that she couldn't threaten Julie with anything she hadn't already heard.

"Or you'll what, Dawn?" Spike prompted sarcastically. "Look as much as I don't like her, Julie is just trying to help. If she has to cause a few bruises to do that, then let her. I'm here to tell you that Conner deserved every bit of pain he was dealt."

"Oh yeah? How's that?" Dawn shook off her apprehension over Julie to become defiant again. Her stance hardened again as she got ready to argue with Spike.

"He didn't tell us the whole truth about Valhalla; things that are really important to us all." Spike explained. He didn't want Dawn angry with him, but somehow it seemed unavoidable. So he decided to jump in with both feet. "And since when do you like Conner? What happened to that Shawn guy?"

"What does it matter? You didn't even like Shawn anyway." Dawn ignored the question, turning the spotlight on Spike. He opened his mouth to protest, but Dawn stopped him. "Don't deny it, Spike. Any idiot could tell that you hated Shawn."

"That may be true, but I liked him a whole lot more than I like Angel's whelp." Spike reflected the subtle jab easily. He crossed his arms, once again confident that he could get answers out of Dawn. "So why aren't you still with Shawn?"

"Conner is a way better guy than Shawn." Dawn again dodged Spike's question. He was beginning to think that she was hiding something or that she didn't have a good reason to end things with Shawn. "I don't have to hide anything from Conner."

"Is that the only reason, bit, 'cause you realize that living on the Hellmouth, Shawn would eventually find out about demons and such." Spike raised a scarred eyebrow. Shawn probably already suspected that demons existed, so Dawn wouldn't have to worry about that for too long.

"I just didn't like him anymore, okay?" Dawn finally admitted the full truth. She threw her hands in the air in defeat. "I didn't want to date him anymore. Can we just leave it at that?"

"For now." Spike nodded, but continued to eye her suspiciously. Dawn was saved when Julie came back out into the hallway. "What did Buffy say?"

"They are meeting us at the mansion. Bring Dawn." Julie put her phone in her pocket as she spoke. "Buffy has a few things to say about Conner, and I think Dawn should be there to hear it."

The drive back to the mansion, though quick, was not over fast enough for Dawn. She knew that she would only be facing an angry sibling, but she wanted to get this over with so she could go check on Conner. Before Julie had completely stopped the car, Dawn jumped out and stormed up to the mansion. She didn't wait for Spike and Julie to catch up before she entered. The sight that greeted her made her pause in her rampage.

Buffy sat in an arm chair facing the door. She did not look happy at all. She drummed her fingers on the armrest, glaring at Dawn in silence. She didn't say a word, but she didn't have to. Dawn knew that she was about to face the wrath of Buffy.

"Buffy, before you start, will you just—" Dawn started to explain, but immediately stopped when Buffy raised her hand. Dawn waited patiently for her older sister to say something, but Buffy still remained silent. "Please say something, Buffy."

"Like what? Dawn, what would you like me to say?" Buffy stood up so fast Dawn almost didn't catch it. Julie and Spike entered the mansion, but that didn't seem to divert Buffy's attention in the least bit. "I am so disappointed in you, Dawn. How could you fall for that lying...weasel?"

"First off, Conner is not a weasel. A liar, maybe, but not a weasel." Dawn met Buffy in the centre of the room for a face off. "Secondly, you practically forced him on me when you let him and I stay in the same house alone. Sure Willow and Tara were there at night, but they have day jobs. Thirdly, I thought the reason we didn't like Conner was because he was possessed by Valhalla. How was I supposed to know we suspected him of more if you guys keep me out of the loop?"

"You were there, Dawn, when Julie told us that Valhalla can't make up emotions, that he enhances them." Buffy squashed Dawn's last argument flat easily. "You've been to almost every meeting that you should know enough not to go for him. As for your second argument, I didn't realize we were being so accommodating for our prisoner. And yes Conner is a weasel. He snuck around with this information all week. That's a weasel in my book."

"You of all people, Buffy, should know that you can't pick who you like." Dawn threw back in her sister's face. "Or else I'm sure you would be with someone normal instead of an ex-vampire."

No one could've predicted what came next... Well maybe Julie, but she didn't have time to react before it happened. Buffy hauled back her fist, and punched Dawn square in the face. A loud cracking noise could be heard clearly across the room. It was followed immediately by a gush of blood and Dawn screaming in pain and fury.

Buffy stood rooted to one spot in shock. Julie was the first to jump into action. She quickly ushered Dawn to the couch so she could sit while Julie examined the damage. Spike stood at Buffy's side with a comforting arm around her shoulders as Angel dashed off to get a cloth and other supplies.

"Dawn, you have to let me see." Julie tried to keep her voice calm and soft. She really wanted to force Dawn to move her hands away from her nose so she could get a good look at the break. "Do you want me to straighten it or not? I can just as easily leave it crooked as I can straighten it."

Dawn finally relented, allowing Julie to see her bloody, broken nose. Angel appeared to hand Julie a damp face cloth. Dawn jerked away as Julie began to dab around the edges of the mess. She needed to clear away the blood so she could see what she was working with.

"Don't make me get Angel to hold your head still." Julie warned, giving Dawn a serious look. "Although he will have to anyway when I put your nose back, I don't think you want him holding it right now."

Dawn managed to remain still while Julie cleared away as much of the blood as she could. It was hard, though, because more blood would just take over the clean area. That didn't matter, though; Julie had seen enough to know how bad it was.

"It's a clean break, so it should heal straight. You're lucky." Julie told Dawn the good news. She heard a sigh of relief behind her, and knew that Spike had been waiting to hear that it was bad news. She tossed the blood-covered cloth beside her on the coffee table. "Unfortunately, this is going to hurt. Angel, could you?"

Angel, more than willing to help, placed both his hands on either side of Dawn's head to hold her steady. Julie knew that Dawn wouldn't be able to hold still enough for her to straighten the broken cartilage. Dawn looked nervous as Julie lined her thumbs up on either side of her broken nose. With a quick jerk to the left, Julie crunched the cartilage back in place. Almost immediately Dawn felt the pressure on her face lighten.

"Here, hold this to it." Julie handed Dawn some ice cubes wrapped up in a towel. "You'll be fine. The worst part isn't over, but it'll get better after that believe it or not."

"You know, you're not very good with the encouraging pep talks." Dawn told Julie as the Anti-Slayer got up from the coffee table. She attempted a smile, but it hurt too much.

"Never said I was." Julie shrugged, winking at Dawn. She left the teenager alone with her ice to go talk to Buffy, who was still in shock. "How is she doing?"

"I don't know what's wrong with her." Spike couldn't tear his gaze away from his girlfriend for very long. Julie nodded; of course she would know why Buffy was so un-respondent. "Do you?"

"Give me a minute." Julie blocked out all the other minds in the room, concentrating on just Buffy. Her mind seemed to open easier than usual, but that could be expected. A person in shock didn't have the willpower to resist an invading mind.

Buffy kept replaying the scene with Dawn over and over again in head. She could feel the dull throb in her knuckles, and knew that she had probably cracked one, but she didn't care. She had hit her little sister, and not just any kind of hit, but a hard punch. She had broken her sister's nose over a stupid fight about boys. All the same, she had hurt her little sister, someone she swore to protect.

"Buffy?" Julie asked, placing her hands on Buffy's shoulders. She needed to snap the Slayer out of her trance. "Dawn will be fine. You only broke her nose."

"It was a clean break, pet. Not a lot of damage done." Spike added, rubbing Buffy's back in small, soothing circles.

As though an electric shock went through her, Buffy snapped out of it. She didn't talk to either blonde, but instead ran to her little sister. Buffy hugged Dawn tightly as she fought off the tears that threatened to spill over. Dawn didn't hug her back right away, but, after she got over the shock of it, she tentatively wrapped her arms around Buffy in silent forgiveness.

"I'm so sorry, Dawn." Buffy said as she pulled back. A few tears escaped her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"I do." Julie whispered to Angel quietly so Buffy couldn't hear.

"It's okay, Buffy. I shouldn't have said those things to you." Dawn smiled shyly. She knew that it was wrong to say that Buffy would've picked someone else over Spike. She actually liked that her sister and Spike had finally gotten together. "I know that you still would have picked Spike."

"She bloody well would have." Spike grumbled. That seemed to crack tension in the air, and everyone chuckled. Buffy kissed his cheek as she tried to hold in her laughter.

"How could I resist your charm?" Buffy rolled her eyes, but the humour in her voice gave her away. Spike pulled her flush against him, growling in her ear. Buffy felt her knees go weak as he set every nerve in her body on fire.

"That's what I thought." Spike smiled contently, releasing Buffy. She blushed a deep red as she pushed away from her boyfriend. Dawn looked disgusted as she caught on to the sexual energy between the couple.

"Help me in the kitchen." Julie gestured for Angel to follow her. She picked up the wash cloth on her way by the coffee table. Angel followed, glad to be leaving the living room.

Julie tossed the cloth in the garbage; they would never use it again. Angel leaned against the counter as Julie got out a mug, and poured something into it. The scent of blood filled his nose, making Angel's throat begin to burn with thirst.

"Here." Julie handed Angel the mug after heating it up in the microwave. Angel tried to turn down the offer, but Julie forced it into his hands. "Don't try to pretend that you aren't hungry. I heard your thoughts in there after Dawn broke her nose."

"I thought..." Angel couldn't finish; his appetite was becoming too much now that he held the mug of pig's blood. He took a huge, satisfying gulp, vamping out as the thick liquid ran down his throat.

"You were panicking about it, and your thoughts became too loud to ignore." Julie explained, knowing where Angel was going with his unfinished question. She turned to wash her hands of the trances of blood that speckled her skin. "I wonder why the call is so bad now. It's not as though you were just turned or something."

"I don't know." Angel shrugged. He had been worrying over that for days now. He couldn't figure it out either. Blood hadn't had this bad of a hold on him in quite some time. "The only thing I came up with was that I was in denial, and wouldn't drink blood. Maybe I starved myself without realizing it."

"That's probably it." Julie nodded as she wiped her hands dry. She tossed the towel over her shoulder as she went to stand in front of Angel. "Promise me that you will never starve yourself by denying yourself the things you need."

"I promise." Angel returned to his human face after finishing off his mug of blood. He pulled Julie to his body to hug her. He kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes to enjoy the feel of her in his arms.

"Want to know a secret about Spike?" Julie asked as she pulled away a few minutes later. Angel gave her an intrigued look, so she continued. "He's thinking about asking Buffy to marry him now that it is legal for him to do so."

"Are you serious?" Angel's eyes bugged out as he was hit with shock. He couldn't believe that Spike—the Big Bad—wanted to marry the Slayer. He knew that the younger male was completely devoted and in love with Buffy, but it didn't seem like his style to get hitched. "When?"

"Right about...now." Julie's words acted as a cue. Buffy started to squeal in the next room. Julie rolled her eyes, and led Angel back out into the living room. "We should probably be out there for this."

Spike was on one knee, holding Buffy's left hand. Xander, Willow, Anya, and Tara had shown up, and were standing with Dawn. All of them looked shocked at the display before them. In his hand, Spike held a one carat, princess cut diamond solitaire platinum ring. Buffy couldn't stop squealing as he slipped it on her ring finger.

"It's beautiful, Spike." Buffy's squeals subsided as she stared down as the ring on her finger. Spike stood up straight, and immediately had his arms full as Buffy practically threw herself at him. She wrapped him up tightly in her arms as she kissed him deeply. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Buffy." Spike didn't seem to be able to stop smiling as he held his lover close. Buffy turned in his arms to face all her friends.

"Congratulations, you guys!" Dawn hugged them both tightly. She couldn't believe that Spike had proposed to Buffy without talking to her first about it. She grabbed Buffy's hand to examine the ring. She had to admit that he did a good job picking out a ring.

"Are you trying to shock us to death?" Willow joked as she hugged her best friend. Tears glistened in both girls' eyes as they held each other. Neither could believe that this day had finally come for the Slayer.

The Scoobies took turns hugging and congratulating the blonde couple. No one was more shocked than Xander, but he pasted on a smile as he hugged Buffy. Angel and Julie approached last, the smiles on their faces not as big as their other friends'.

"You knew, didn't you?" Buffy eyed Julie suspiciously before they hugged.

"Maybe I did." Julie winked as she pulled away. "There was no one way I was going to tell you, though. You couldn't have tortured it out of me. That just ruins all the fun."

"How long have you known for?" Spike asked, curious. Julie hadn't been around when he first decided to propose. It could've been any of the countless times he had thought about it after, though.

"I happened to hear about it when you had first woken up, and Angel and I came to see you after you ate a plate of hot wings." Julie surprised Spike. That had been the same day he had first thought about following through with his plan of many years. It had actually been minutes after he made the decision. "It's shocking what I can keep a secret, isn't it?"

"Yeah, actually, it is." Spike said after thinking about it. From what he knew about her, Julie wouldn't have been able to lie if Buffy had asked directly about it. He was very thankful that she had been able to hide this.

"I don't mean to ruin this moment, but Faith is here." Julie spoke up. Just in time again as the door burst open, slamming against the wall. The dark Slayer stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the morning light behind her.

"Someone summon me?" Faith asked as she stepped inside. A new scar adorned her face, but other than that she was the same. Confidence and danger washed off her as she eyed up the new face in a crowd of familiarity, Julie.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Giles, how's it going?" Buffy smiled in a fake sweetness even though the ex-Watcher couldn't see her. She knew he would quickly catch on, though. "England treating you well?"

"Faith's there, isn't she?" Giles sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had meant to call Buffy to tell her that the other Slayer was on her way to Sunnydale, but it had slipped his mind as he got deep into his research. He knew that there would be problems with her just showing up unannounced. "What's happened?"

"Well, her and Julie are definitely no getting along." Buffy glanced over her shoulder. Faith and Julie faced each other, Faith with a crossbow and Julie with a hand gun. "Things are not going well."

"Would you just put down the crossbow?" Julie asked calmly. She wasn't worried about the crossbow darts. She was, however, worried about Faith. There was no doubt in Julie's mind that she would shoot Faith if the need arose.

"Not until you put the gun down." Faith snarled. She wasn't exactly sure what had happened to lead to this point, but now that they were there, she wasn't going to be the first one to back down.

"The crossbow won't do you any good." Julie sighed, not lowering her arm. It still hurt to be shot with a crossbow dart; she didn't need that pain right now. "It won't stop me from shooting you."

"Would both of you just stop?" Buffy snapped over her shoulder. Neither of the women seemed to take notice. Buffy rolled her eyes, and went back to talking to Giles. "When did Faith stop by the Council?"

"A few days ago." Giles mentally winced. He knew Buffy definitely wouldn't be happy hearing that. Now she really had a reason to be upset with him.

"You've had a couple of days to warn me, and you didn't? Although I suppose you've been busy with Council stuff and Eye stuff." Buffy surprised Giles by remaining calm. She mimicked his gesture, and pinched her nose. "Okay, well now that she's here, how am I supposed to deal with her?"

"Just keep her out of trouble, and everything should be fine." Giles tried to sound convincing. He didn't exactly know how to control Faith; that Slayer had a mind of her own. "Have you heard anything about Valhalla yet?"

"Well, Conner gave us some info about why Julie got her powers back." Buffy glanced over her shoulder to make sure that no one was dead yet. "Valhalla is state-side now. Apparently when Julie got her powers back, that's what it meant."

"That means that he could attack any moment now." Giles gasped. He needed to get back to Sunnydale, but he was finally making a break through with the Altar of Christ.

"Tell Giles not to worry. We've got it covered." Julie told Buffy, freaking Faith out just a little bit. Julie smirked at the Slayer across from her. "You miss a few things when you disappear like that."

"I didn't disappear." Faith protested. She was really beginning to understand why she had pulled a crossbow on this mysterious woman standing before her. She was oddly annoying, and very cryptic. Also slightly demonic. "What I don't get is why Buffy would hang out with you, _demon_."

"Hey!" Angel and Spike protested in unison. Faith had the decency to look sheepish at her comment. She had liked both of the ex-vampires.

"I am hardly a demon." Julie sounded offended, which she hadn't before when confronted with the assumption. There was just something about Faith that just brought out the bitch in her.

"Faith, I think you should sit down for this." Dawn suggested, stepping forward. She wanted so badly to make Faith lower her crossbow, but she knew better than to do that. "The things you are about to hear are not only confusing but slightly unreal."

"What isn't unreal about our lives?" Xander grumbled to Anya. His girlfriend shrugged; she wasn't really paying attention to what was going on. Her mind was on more exciting things like all the different positions her and Xander had tried out last night.

"I've got to go, Giles. Don't worry about us here. You just finish up whatever you have going on in England." Buffy told Giles before hanging up. This thing between Julie and Faith was getting to be ridiculous. She joined the group, standing by her sister's side. "The crossbow isn't going to do much damage, Faith. Julie is invincible as long as I am alive."

"What do you mean, B?" Faith finally lowered her weapon to give Buffy a confused look. Julie relaxed her arm, but kept her finger on the trigger as she let her arm fall to her side.

"Julie is a part of me. She is the half of my soul that went to Hell." Buffy tried to explain in the simplest words, and as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, he words did nothing to calm Faith's nerves. She instantly raised the crossbow at the same time Julie's arm snapped back up. "She can also read your mind."

"I still think we should calm down, and sit to talk about this." Dawn mumbled, but everyone heard her in the silent room. Buffy nodded in agreement as she placed a hand on both the Slayer and Anti-Slayer's weapon of choice.

"And I think we should do it without the firearms." Buffy looked both women in the eye to let them know that she was dead serious. Julie nodded, tucking her gun away in the back waistband of her cargo pants. Faith shrugged, letting her arm fall. "We have a lot to fill Faith in on."

"This is going to be a long day." Spike groaned as he flopped down on the couch.

And he was right. It took them hours to get Faith to understand that Julie could be trusted. Julie was pretty sure, though, that Faith was only pretending. She still thought that Julie was evil. The Anti-Slayer kept a wary eye on her the whole time they sat there, splitting her mind and devoting one half solely to Faith and the other to bringing her up to date.

On top of the hours spent explaining what/who Julie was, it took a few more to explain about the Eye of Eden. Fortunately, Faith was completely on board with their idea for destroying the ring. Now they just had to decide how to deal with the problem at hand: Valhalla.

It wasn't until sunset that they finished their impromptu meeting. Everyone was extremely tired, but knew that they had to keep on their toes with the demon lord lurking about. Faith was going to stay with Dawn, Willow, and Tara until Buffy and Spike were ready to come home. Buffy felt a lot better knowing that the other Slayer would keep an eye on Dawn and Conner.

"I'm going to grab my coat, and then we can head out." Julie patted Angel's knee as she got up off the couch. Faith was still there, talking to Buffy about where she had been.

"Where are you guys going?" Buffy asked out of curiosity. She hoped they weren't going out patrolling. She really needed to get back into that, and felt that she should be the one going out every night.

Julie didn't answer. Instead she stood rooted in place with her back turned to the room. There was a loud click followed in quick succession by a dull thud, and Julie winced. She knew it had been coming, but that knowledge didn't take away from the pain. Besides that, it needed to happen.

"Are you satisfied now?" Julie stiffly turned to face the room. Faith had her crossbow raised to eye level, and there was no arrow notched to the string. Angel, Spike, and Buffy's mouths dropped as they realized what had just happened. "Angel?"

Angel didn't have to be asked twice. He sprang to Julie's side, immediately supporting her weight. He looked at her back to see where Faith had her hit. The feathers of the small dart were protruding from just under Julie's left shoulder blade.

"Could you?" Julie made a weak attempt at grabbing for the arrow so that Angel got the message. He helped her sit on the couch, glaring at Faith as he did.

"What did you do that for?" Buff snatched the crossbow out of Faith's hands once she snapped out of her shocked state. She couldn't believe that after all that time spent explaining what Julie was, and how she was the missing piece of the puzzle, that Faith would _still_ doubt them. "Did you hear anything I said?"

"I can't believe you just trusted her, B. That's so unlike you." Faith turned to face the blonde Slayer as Angel went to work assessing the damage she had caused. "Did you ever think that maybe Julie was faking it?"

"Of course she did." Julie groaned as Angel pulled the crossbow slowly but steadily out of her back. A single drop of blood seeped from the wound, but that was it. Julie wiggled her shoulder, stretching the quickly scarring tissue. It still felt tender, but at least with the arrow out, her regenerating powers were working their magic. "I didn't expect you to trust me right away, no one ever has. It's a lot to handle, and I get that, but eventually you will have to accept that I am on your side."

'You come from Hell, and in my experience anything that comes from Hell is not a good thing." Faith spat, but she couldn't help the amazement on her face as she watched Julie's crossbow wound heal itself.

"Again with the 'all demons are bad' thing." Spike threw his hands in the air. He knew that Faith wasn't talking about him, but he still liked to make her squirm. Buffy shot him a deadly glare.

"You can't just go around shooting people who are willing to help us." Buffy turned back to face Faith. She put her hands on her hips, the patented Slayer glare in place.

"The way I see it, none of this would be happening if she didn't bring it to you." Faith pointed out a logical point. Buffy would not be involved with the Eye of Eden and all the problems that came with that if Julie hadn't shown up in their lives and turned it all upside down. "You wouldn't be involved in any of this, and your lives wouldn't be threatened if she hadn't come to you for help."

"That may be true." Buffy trailed off, battling her anger towards Julie. She knew her anger was a side effect of Julie's powers, so she tried to beat it. "But she has given us so much more. I can get married to the man I love thanks to Julie. She has given me hope about the future, and she has helped me understand the past."

"Is all that worth the lives of your friends, B?" Faith asked with a not-so-subtle jab. She raised one of her eyebrows when Buffy didn't answer. "What has happened to you?"

"I am still the same person I was three years ago, Faith." Buffy defended herself. It wasn't that she wanted to risk her friends' lives just so she could have a few extra perks in her life. At the same time, she also knew that her friends wouldn't hear of it if she told them that she didn't want them fighting this time. "You know as well as I do that my friends are stubborn. They want to fight, and there is nothing I can say or do that will stop them."

"Faith, Julie is on our side." Spike chose then to speak up. Everyone turned to regard him in surprise. "I was just as sceptical and wary of Julie as you are, but if you listen to what she has to say, you can't help but start to warm up to her."

"I've already heard what she has to say." Faith pointed out, crossing her arms. Her eyes kept darting back to Julie, who rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, like I would ever do that." Julie scoffed, also crossing her arms. Everyone looked at Faith expectantly, curious as to what the dark Slayer had been thinking. "I would never intentionally put Buffy in danger. That would moronic and suicidal. Do you honestly think that I want to die?"

"I don't know. Maybe you do, just to get rid of Buffy." Faith raised an eyebrow. Julie knew what the other Slayer was trying to do, but it wouldn't work. Faith would never get her to admit to an evil scheme since she didn't have one.

"Believe me, killing Buffy is the _last_ thing on my mind." Julie levelled her gaze with Faith. "You, on the other hand, are slowly creeping up my 'to do' list."

"Okay... I think that is our cue to leave." Angel stepped forward, putting himself slightly between Faith and Julie. He turned to his girlfriend with a very serious warning look as he guided her away. "We'll see you guys later."

"Okay, so explain to me why you like her?" Faith asked, turning to the blonde couple she had been left with. Spike and Buffy gave her a wide-eyed look of disbelief. They gestured for her to take a seat, so that they could start from the beginning...again.

* * *

"What the heck was that?" Angel asked as he and Julie left the mansion. He gawked at the back of Julie's head as she led the way down the winding driveway. "Care to tell me what just went on back there?"

"Look, I know Faith is a great Slayer and all, but you all seem to forget that Buffy didn't always like her. In fact Buffy hated her basically until she came back from the dead." Julie spun to face Angel. It was her turn to have a look of disbelief on her face. "I'm the reason Buffy didn't like Faith at all before our death."

"Can you at least try to be civilized around her?" Angel pleaded. He didn't want to have to constantly be worrying about whether Julie was going to kill Faith or not. He didn't need that added to his already long list of worries.

"I can try, but I will not make any promises." Julie said as she rolled her shoulder, trying to stretch the healing tissue so that it didn't feel as tight across her back. "Especially if she continues to shoot me in the back."

"I don't expect anymore." Angel's face lit up in a brilliant smile. He knew that Julie would put an honest effort into acting civil with Faith. He knew it would be really hard for her to go against her own words even if she didn't promise anything. "So where are we headed?"

"Around." Julie shrugged as they continued on their way down the driveway. Angel fell in step with her, pulling her close with an arm around her shoulders. She sighed contentedly, leaning into his hold.

"What's up?" Angel asked, looking down at her. She always felt so tiny to him when he was holding her, like he could break her easily. He knew, however, that she did not need him to protect her. "Is something wrong?"

"Far from it." Julie chuckled, wrapping an arm around his back as she looked up at her boyfriend. "I was just thinking about how nice it is to be in your arms. About how easy it is for me to be with you. Like breathing."

"I know the feeling." Angel couldn't agree more. Being with Julie _was_ like breathing. It felt natural for them to be together. Out of curiosity, though, he felt he had to ask. "Does it bother you that I am so much bigger than you? Don't you feel dwarfed?"

"Yes, I do, but no, it doesn't bother me." Julie answered simply, though she knew she would have a hard time explaining herself. Angel tilted hi head as he waited for her to elaborate. "I like, for once, to feel that I am not the stronger one in a relationship."

"But you are." Angel's brow furrowed as he tried to make out Julie's meaning. "You are stronger than me."

"Yeah, but because you are taller than me, I don't feel like I am." Julie paused before responding. She was trying to find the right words. "When we are lying in bed, or even walking like we are right now, I can pretend that I am normal; that I am just a normal girlfriend out for a stroll with her boyfriend. I don't have to be the Anti-Slayer when we are like this, and to me it is a well welcomed break. Does any of that make sense?"

"Kind of...I guess." Angel made the decision that it was just easier to be contented that she didn't feel too small next to him. It was too confusing to try and follow what she was saying. Angel was sure that he would never be able to figure out how Julie's mind worked.

"Why do you ask anyway?' Julie spoke up after a couple of moments spent in silence. She again tilted her head to look up at Angel.

"I guess I am just used to Buffy always feeling like she had to prove that she was my equal." Angel shrugged. He knew that Buffy didn't have to do that, that she was definitely his equal. She always seemed to be insecure about it, though, for some reason. "You don't do that at all."

"That's because I'm confident enough with this relationship to know that I am your equal." Julie smiled up at Angel. She knew that she sounded slightly conceited, but she also knew that Angel wouldn't take it that way. "You know as well as anyone that I am not Buffy."

"That I do." Angel kissed Julie's temple.

A comfortable silence fell over them as they entered town. On the main street, several couples milled about, enjoying the nice summer evening. Angel and Julie blended right in, but they couldn't have felt more alienated. All the lovey couples were on their way to restaurants or to the movies or to the mall for dates, all of them oblivious to the threat that hung over the whole town. Angel and Julie, however, knew, and it made them feel out of place. It didn't help that they were on their way to kill demons and not towards a relaxing evening.

"Let's get off this street.' Julie looked disgusted as she stared at one couple sitting on a bench. They looked like love sick puppies, and their mushy thoughts grossed her out. "Please."

"I was hoping you would want to." Angel felt very uncomfortable surrounded by so much love and sappy couples. He ducked down an alley that led to a much quieter street.

"Safe at last." Julie breathed a sigh of relief as they entered a cemetery. She pulled out of Angel's hold, but held on to his hand. She took to spinning a stake in her free hand, humming Foghat softly.

"I wouldn't necessarily call wandering a graveyard safe." Angel chuckled as they wove their way between the tombstones.

"Your boyfriend is a smart one." The couple spun on their heels to face a trio of vampires. The leader stood slightly apart from the other two, a wicked grin on his face.

"I know he is. Why do you think I am dating him?" Julie rolled her eyes mentally when the two lackeys looked surprised that she wasn't scared. "Do you honestly think that I would come into a cemetery if I wasn't looking for the likes of you?"

"You're not the Slayer, are you?" One of the lackeys, a fledgling, asked with barely contained anger. Julie found that with a lot of fledglings; they always seemed to be angry for no reason.

"I'm worse than the Slayer." Julie grinned evilly as she stopped spinning the stake. Angel took that as his cue to vamp out.

The fledgling was the first to dust. Julie whipped the stake at him, aiming perfectly for his heart. His mouth made a large 'O' shape before he crumbled into a cloud of dust. Julie pulled out another stake she had hidden in her coat pocket, and advanced on the other vampire, who didn't seem to talk a whole lot.

Meanwhile, Angel had engaged the leader in hand-to-hand combat. It was obvious from the get go that Angel was the more skilled of the two, but his opponent was putting up a good fight. The vampire was fast; Angel had to give him that as he ducked a flying fist aimed at his head.

Julie let her opponent think he was winning. His shots were easy enough to block even without reading his mind. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy playing with vampires. It didn't take him long to her backed up against a headstone. Once he realized that he had her cornered, his punches and kicks seemed to take on a renewed energy. A smirk found its way to Julie's lips.

Angel blocked a kick, but didn't see the follow-through punch until it connected with his jaw. It wasn't enough to unbalance him, but it did give the vampire a confidence boost. Angel found himself slightly overwhelmed by his opponent, but he wasn't too worried. Especially as he slipped a stake out of the cuff of his coat.

_The vampire snarled, baring his fangs. The blood pumping just under his fallen enemy's skin sang a sweet song. Sniffing the air, the vampire could tell the blood was everything it's song promised it would be. Just one little nibble, and it would all be over._

_A sharp pain forced the vampire from following through with his plan. He looked down at his chest to see the sharp end of a stake sticking out where his heart should be. He raised his hands to try and remove the offending wood from his body, but he knew already that it was too late. His hands turned to dust as he moved, followed by the rest of him._

"Are you alright?" Angel appeared over Julie, offering his hand so he could help her up. She took it gladly, suppressing a cough caused by vampire remains. "What happened?"

"I have no idea. One minute I can hear his every thought, then next thing I know his mind just goes blank." Julie explained as she dusted herself off. Angel scanned her body for any injury on instinct, knowing he had nothing to worry about in that area, but doing so all the same. "Just goes to show how much I depend on reading minds."

"You seem to be doing fine without reading mine." Angel grinned as he concluded that she was not injured. He wrapped an arm around her back, turning so they could continue their sweep of the graveyard. He silently prayed that they didn't come across any other nasty demon that might be lurking in the shadows.

* * *

"She's had no one, Faith, except the monks in Tibet." Buffy was still trying to convince her fellow Slayer that they could trust Julie. Spike had long ago retired to their bedroom. He still wasn't completely up to snuff. "And even they don't understand her. They can only teach her how she can better understand herself. At least I had my Watcher, and I had Spike and Dawn and the Scoobies."

"Somehow I don't get the feeling that because she had been coping alone for years that that is why she is so messed up." Faith snorted, earning herself a glare from the blonde Slayer, who sat across from her.

"Her being so messed up is partly my fault, you know?" Buffy crossed her arms, going on the defence. "Julie and I are a part of each other. It can't be helped that she just so happens to be made up of all sin. Those sins are as much mine as they are hers. You might as well being saying that I am messed up."

"Whoa, take it easy, B." Faith put up her hands in surrender. She didn't want to upset Buffy, but she also didn't understand why Buffy was so offended and protective of Julie.

"Look, I get that she is not the easiest person to get along with, but can you at least try? Julie has been a huge help." Buffy was now resorting to pleading with Faith; anything to get the other Slayer to believe them. "She even saved me."

"More like saved herself." Faith grumbled. Buffy raised an eyebrow at that comment. "What? You heard her, she happens to like this life, and doesn't want you dead so she can live."

"Faith, will you just give it a rest!?" Buffy threw her hands up in defeat. She was never going to get through to Faith. "Julie's sole purpose in life is _not_ to make up conspiracy theories against everyone she meets. You do realize that you were not so great when you first came to Sunnydale, right?"

"Yeah, but I changed." Faith held her head high. She would not fall for this guilt trip Buffy was trying to push on her. "People like Angel helped me."

"So you can trust that Angel is helping Julie stick to the right path." Buffy had Faith trapped, and they both knew it. "If you can't trust Julie, at least trust the rest of us. Julie is well supervised if that's what is worrying you. She won't try any funny business with us around. Especially Angel."

"Yeah, what is with those two?" Faith couldn't believe that Angel would go for someone so destructive. He had shown her no interest when she had actually tried to get his attention. What made this Anti-Slayer so special?

'That is something I don't think we should get into tonight." Buffy stood up, signalling that the conversation had come to close. "It's getting late. You should probably go get settled in at my place."

"Yeah, you're right. Wouldn't want Dawn to sneak into Conner's bedroom, now would we?" Faith sighed. She offered Buffy a small smile. "Good night, B, and don't worry about your little sister. She'll be fine."

"Sometimes I worry about her choices." Buffy shook her head sadly. "I wish I could I give her a more normal life than this one, but I know at the same time that I could never turn my back on my duties. No matter where I went."

"I know exactly what you mean." Faith nodded, hinting at something that she clearly was not going to tell Buffy yet. She opened the front door, stepping out into the warm night air. "Everything will turn out just fine, B. It always does."

"Good night, Faith." Buffy gave the dark Slayer one last smile before closing the door. She wandered around the living room, pretending to straighten up, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She desperately wanted to know what Faith meant.

"Do you want me to pick her brain?" Buffy spun to find that Julie and Angel had returned. Julie stepped further into living room, while Angel made his excuses to leave them alone. "It's kind of my speciality."

"What happened to your face?" Buffy asked, gasping as Julie stepped into the light. A dark bruise was forming under her left eye, and her lip was split and swollen. "Patrolling go badly?"

"Actually, I wasn't even hunting down any demons when I got this." Julie gestured to her face. She really wished she could lie, and make up some story that didn't involve a tree limb. "It wasn't even a demon that did this to me."

"It was a human?" Buffy's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that Julie had just stood by and let a mere mortal beat on her. It didn't seem at all like the feisty Aussie.

"No." Julie grumbled as Angel came back into the room to hand her a pack of ice. He had a highly amused smile on his face. His girlfriend shot him a deadly glare. "I ran into a spruce tree, but I totally won."

"Oh yeah, you really showed it who was boss." Angel couldn't contain his laughter any longer. Even Buffy cracked up at that.

"You shoved me into it! It's not like I could avoid it easily!" Julie complained. Angel simply tucked her under one arm, kissing her temple. "I still can't believe you did that."

"Neither can I, actually." Buffy turned a surprised look to Angel. "You never did anything like that when we were dating...before."

"That's what I said." Julie grumbled as she brought the ice to her eye. She knew it would be healed without a trace in no time, but it still hurt and the relief the ice offered was welcomed. She looked up at her boyfriend. "This whole immortal human/vampire thing has completely changed you."

"I haven't completely changed. I'm still me." Angel insisted, worrying suddenly. He didn't want the woman he loved to think he had changed so much for what he had been into something new that she no longer wanted to be with him. Julie snorted at his words, but wrapped a comforting arm around his back at his thoughts.

"We should be off to bed." Julie changed the subject much to Angel's relief. "We need all the rest we can get to stay on our toes with the demon lord state side now."

"Good night, you two." Buffy smiled warmly at the odd couple. She considered everyone in the Scooby Gang to be in a strange relationship, but she and Spike, and Julie and Angel took the cake as the oddest matches. "I'm just going to clean up a bit more down here."

"My offer about Faith stills stands." Julie said over her shoulder as she and Angel turned to leave. "Think about it."

"Good night, Buffy." Angel said, while giving Julie a confused look. He prayed her offer had nothing to with anything that could lead to a possible fight between the two headstrong women. "Faith?"

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad." Julie rolled her eyes as they made their way up the stairs. "I still can't believe that you pushed me into a tree."

"Oh, get over it." Angel's voice was full of humour. "You'll be fine by the morning, and you know it."

"Whatever." Julie grumbled, falling silent. She was happy to see Angel so cheerful, and if she had to continue to run into trees to keep it that way, so be it.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Julie awoke the next morning feeling odd. Physically she felt great, and as she stretched she knew everything was fine in the house. Angel was asleep soundly beside her with an arm draped across her waist. When she pushed out her mind, she could sense that both Spike and Buffy were fitfully sleeping in their room. So if everything seemed to be fine, why did she have this feeling that something was wrong?

Angel slowly began to wake up next to her, groaning in his sleep about it being too early. Julie's gloomy thoughts were pushed aside for the time being as he pulled her closer to him. She rolled on to her side to face her boyfriend.

"Morning." Angel's voice was raspy from sleep, but a peaceful smile spread his lips as he held Julie tighter to him.

"Good morning." Julie said softly back. Angel kissed her forehead, sighing. He never wanted to get up. He could hold her in his arms all day if he got the chance. "I'm too cozy to get up."

"I know what you mean." Angel pressed a kiss into her hair. Julie closed her eyes, and she felt sleep her mind. That is until she heard Angel's thoughts. Angel felt her stiffen in his arms. "What's wrong?"

"You were worried last night that I would think you had changed too much and leave you?" Julie tilted her head to look up at Angel. It was her turn to be worried. She didn't like that Angel thought about her leaving him. When Angel didn't respond, Julie cupped his cheek, drawing his attention down to her. "I'm never going to leave you, Angel. No matter what, you are stuck with me. I'll always come back to you."

Julie and Angel looked into each other's eyes in silence as Julie's words sank in. A hundred emotions could be seen playing across Angel's face; Julie caught them all. She kept her hand pressed to his cheek, hoping that if she did Angel would be able to feel that she meant every word of what she had said.

"This ring isn't just a ring to me, Angel." Julie dared to take her hand away from Angel's cheek to show him her finger. "This ring is a symbol of my complete commitment to you. Nothing you do can break that. I love you, Angel, with everything I have."

"Oh, Julie, I love you so much." Angel pulled Julie flush against his body, kissing her passionately. He would never be able to put into words exactly what he felt at that exact moment. Relief, adoration, love, guilt...to name a few.

"Willow." Julie pulled back suddenly, panic in her eyes. Angel usually would have teased her about thinking of someone else at a time like this, but the tone in her voice and the look on her face silenced his jests.

"What's wrong with her?" Angel asked as he and Julie both scrambled to get out of the bed. Julie tossed him some clothes as she searched for her own. "Did something happen?"

"No, but it's about to." Julie paused in mid-stride, closing her eyes. Angel looked at her curiously for her sudden change, but stopped wondering when he heard Spike fall out of bed across the hall. "Okay, now that they are up, we need to hurry."

"Are you going to tell me what is going on, or should I start guessing now?" Angel asked as he threw on his shirt. He quickly followed Julie out into the hall where they met Spike and Buffy.

"What's happening?" Buffy asked, her Slayer face on despite her sleep-mussed hair and dishevelled clothing. Spike stood slightly behind her, looking to be asleep on his feet.

"Valhalla is on his way to your house." The words rushed out of Julie's mouth suddenly. Before she was done talking, she was hurrying down the hallway with the other three following closely on her heels.

There was no point in arguing with the Anti-Slayer; they trusted her completely. Angel willingly handed over the keys to his car to Julie, knowing that her driving would get them there faster. Julie didn't even bothering putting on any music. Her mind was set on one thing, and that thing was about to destroy a close friend of Buffy's.

"Why is Valhalla going to my house?" Buffy leaned forward to stick her head between the front seats.

"I don't know the specifics, but Willow's power did flash through his mind." Julie glanced quickly at Buffy as she passed a car. "My guess is that he is drawn to her power. I can't believe I didn't think of this before. Dawn, Willow, and Tara are all powerful in their own right, but put together I wouldn't be surprised if Valhalla thinks that the Eye of Eden is in your house."

"Drive faster." Spike growled from the back seat. There was no way he was going to let some demon lord lay a hand on his Niblet.

"Spike, I think it would be best if you weren't around for the actual fighting." Buffy sat back to look at her fiancé—she would never get used to calling him that. Spike gaped at her in utter shock.

"She's right. You should stay out of this one." Julie added her input. "You are in no condition to fend off Valhalla."

"What else should I do?" Spike whined. He hated that they thought he couldn't handle it. "Prance around like a magnificent poof? That's Angel's job."

"First off, shut up Spike." Angel growled, glaring at the younger male in the mirror on the sun visor. 'Secondly, you could get Dawn and Conner out of there and to safety. They have no place in the fight."

"Actually, if you could just get Dawn out of the house, that would be great." Julie spoke up. Angel's jaw dropped at what she was proposing. "Angel, listen, I don't want Conner to get hurt, but if part of the reason Valhalla is going to Buffy's house is because Conner is there, we should keep him there. Especially since it would be Spike and Dawn Valhalla would also be following. Conner is safer with us than going off with Spike until Spike gains back his strength."

"She has a point, Angel." Buffy agreed, ignoring Spike's shocked look. He could not believe that his future wife was siding with Julie.

"Oh Spike, knock it off." Julie snapped as she took a corner too sharp, squealing the tires. "Do you really want to test your theory to see who is right? Because if you're wrong, some body dies. And I won't be able to bring them back if their name is on Death's list."

"Do you really want to risk Dawn's life like that?" Angel added for effect. He cared about Dawn, and didn't want to see either Dawn or his son dead. Especially if it was because of Spike's bull headedness.

"Well, everything looks normal." Julie pulled up to the curb, and switched off the engine. Everyone stopped talking to eye the house. Julie pushed out her mind to try and sense any danger, but was met by a protection shield. Willow and Tara must've put it up, which meant that it would take a long time for Julie to break through it. "Come on."

"Did you hear anything?" Angel asked quietly as they made their way up the front walk. Julie simply shook her head, tossing the keys to Spike.

"Use the car to get away." Julie told him when he eyed the keys in his hand. She knew that he detested the plan, but that the thought of Dawn dying was keeping him protesting. "Even if Valhalla isn't in there, I want you to get Dawn out of the house. Take her as far away from here was you can."

"What if he ends up following Spike and Dawn?" Buffy felt suddenly nervous about this plan. She didn't like that Spike and Dawn were going off together without any protection. She wasn't sure what she would do if she lost either or both of them.

"Then Spike will be able to test his side of the argument." Julie obviously heard what Buffy was thinking, and was choosing not to acknowledge it. She casually felt her pockets, double checking that she had all her weapons in place.

"Oh, morning guys." Willow opened the door, stopping in her footsteps when she saw the group that had gathered on the front walkway. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Are you okay? Has anything attacked the house?" Buffy quickly rushed up the front porch steps to her friend's side. She looked Willow over to make sure that she was physically alright. "What are you doing outside?"

"Getting the newspaper." Willow said slowly as she bent to retrieve the rolled up newspaper that lay next to the door. She glanced between all four of them. "Are you moving back in?"

"No, Spike is actually here to pick up Dawn and take her out for the day." Julie explained as she walked up the porch steps. "Is Dawn up?"

"I can check for you." Willow offered, but Julie shook her head. The Anti-Slayer went into the house, leaving Buffy to quickly explain what was going on. They didn't have a lot time, and Julie didn't feel comfortable with Spike and Dawn sticking around too long.

"Valhalla is on his way here." Buffy told Willow bluntly. She didn't have too much time to explain why Valhalla was coming to her house. They needed to get ready for the attack. "There is too much power in this house, and Julie thinks that he may be drawn to it."

"So why is Spike taking Dawn away?" Willow asked as she led Angel, Buffy, and Spike into the house. Faith was already up and frantically going through the weapons chest in the living room.

"Julie told me what was going on." Faith shot Buffy a look over her shoulder as she handed the Slayer a hand-held crossbow. "If I understand anything about his Valhalla character, then we are in a lot of trouble. That is if she is right."

"At least she trained us as best she could." Willow tried to look at the silver lining, but was having a hard time with it. She didn't feel ready for this fight, and she probably never would. They knew too little about their opponent, and what they did know wouldn't help them much.

"Don't worry about looking good. You probably won't be stopping anywhere fantastic." Julie told Dawn as she forced the teenager to walk down the stairs. Dawn was still in her pyjamas, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Hopefully you won't have to stop at all."

"Dawn!" Buffy called out to get her little sister's attention. As Dawn reached the bottom steps, Buffy rushed over to her. She pulled the brunette into a bear hug, never wanting to let go. As Buffy pulled away, she pressed the crossbow into Dawn's hands.

"What's this for?" Dawn eyed the crossbow warily. The weapon instantly alerted her that there was something she wasn't being told. "What's going on?"

"You're going away with Spike, and I need you to keep Captain Peroxide out of danger." Julie tried to laugh off the tension in the air. Dawn's stomach continued to plummet when she caught the look Julie and Buffy shared.

"Valhalla's on his way into town, and you want Spike and I out of the way." Dawn stated bluntly. Buffy had to fight to keep her jaw from dropping; her sister could be so perceptive at times.

"Hello. You could knock before entering my mind." Buffy protested, also trying and failing with Julie's tactic of joking away the tense air that seemed to have filled the house instantly.

"It's for the best, Dawn." Julie held up her hand when Dawn opened her mouth to argue. "We really don't have time for this. You and Spike need to get out of here now."

"I'm not leaving without Conner." Dawn crossed her arms, and her jaw clenched stubbornly. Buffy rolled her eyes, but let Julie handle this one. Dawn's face was bruised enough right now, and Buffy didn't trust herself not to add to the teen's colourful face.

"Conner needs to stay here in case Valhalla is after him." Julie shook her head as she saw into Dawn's thoughts. "We don't want him to chase after you if Conner is his target. But don't worry, we won't let anything happen to him. Angel's his father, why would I want to hurt Conner?"

"You had better not." Dawn grumbled as she finally relented. Spike appeared in the open doorway then with an impatient look on his face. He had been having a cigarette out by the car, waiting for Dawn. "Yeah, I'm coming Spike."

"You be careful." Buffy went over to stand in front of her fiancé. She wrapped her arms around his neck, never wanting to let go. She hated that they were separating, but knew that it was for the best. She stood on her tip-toes, giving Spike a short but passionate kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too, pet." Spike kissed her again before Dawn's throat clearing caused him to pull back. "We'll be back at sunset unless we don't get a call from you."

"Okay." Buffy nodded, finally releasing her hold as she stepped back. She glanced over at Dawn, who met her gaze. Words were un-needed as the two sisters shared everything that needed to be said in that one glance.

"Okay, so we should probably go over Valhalla's weak spots quickly to catch Faith up." Julie grabbed the attention of everyone in the room except Buffy as the front door closed, signalling Spike and Dawn's departure. The blonde Slayer wandered over to the window to watch Spike and Dawn pile into the car. She loved watching both of them when they thought no one was looking. Suddenly blue met green and Buffy's breath caught in her throat. "Buffy? Are you listening?"

"Huh? What? Sorry..." Buffy snapped out of her trance, turning back to the room as Spike pulled away from the curb. "What were you saying, Julie?"

"Oh nothing much." Julie shrugged, clearly annoyed. "Just telling you how to save your own ass when the demon lord gets here."

"Oh sorry. Continue." Buffy was still slightly out of sorts about being separated from Spike, and she didn't catch on to Julie's tone. She was occupied with why she suddenly felt like this. Never before had his simply leaving the house affected her so drastically.

"I'll be protecting your minds as best I can." Buffy caught the last part of what Julie had been saying. She shook her head to try and focus on the task at hand. "I can only do it so much, but it should be enough that Valhalla won't find out about the link between Buffy and I. As soon as he finds that out, we are screwed."

"Should we bring Conner down here?" Angel asked. He was kind of worried about what the answer would be, but he didn't seem able to not ask. Julie looked at him in sympathy, knowing without reading his mind that he was at war with himself.

"I hate to say this, but I think we should so we can keep a better eye on him." Julie nodded. It tore her up to see Angel like this. She hated seeing him in any sort of pain, and now was no exception. "Do you want to go grab him?"

"Sure." Angel hesitated a moment before agreeing to go retrieve his son. He wasn't sure how Conner would react to seeing him here under these circumstances.

"What time should we expect Valhalla to show up?" Tara asked, glancing nervously towards the window. She was just waiting for the demon lord to come bursting through the glass at any moment. "What should we expect him to do first?"

"Well, he definitely won't pause for pleasantries." Julie insisted. She remembered back to when she first met the demon lord. Though he looked polite, he was anything but. "He'll probably get right down to business, demanding the Eye back. I'm expecting him to be an Italian businessman, but he probably won't act anything like that. Oh, and Buffy, Valhalla hates bantering while he fights."

"Well, that sucks." Buffy pouted. She had thought of so many mid-fight jabs that she could make while fighting the shape-shifting demon lord.

"Calm down, Conner." Everyone turned to see Conner storm into the room followed closely by Angel. The boy did not look happy by any means.

"All I want to know is why she locked me in my room." Conner assured his father before turning to face Julie. Julie shifted her weight to the left just as Conner punched at her. His fist connected only with more air.

"It was for your own safety." Julie spoke calmly considering she just had someone try to punch her. That isn't to say that she wasn't fighting the urge to knock Angel's son out to shut him up. Angel went Julie's side to make sure that Conner didn't try anything else that was stupid.

"You locked me in my room! How is that for my own good?" Conner crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. He was struggling to keep his anger in check, knowing that it would only end badly for him if he went up against the Anti-Slayer.

"I couldn't have you being whisked away by Valhalla now could I?" Julie pointed out with a roll of her eyes. She was really becoming annoyed with all the interruptions. "Look, I don't think we really have the time to discuss this what with our demonic friend on his way here and all, but I promise that we will work this out _later_."

"Julie's got a point, Conner." Buffy could tell that Julie was about to snap, and decided to step in. "Maybe now is not the best time for this."

"Valhalla's on his way here? Where's Dawn? Is she safe?" Conner panicked, looking around frantically for the brunette. His panic rose when he didn't see her there. "Where is she?"

"She's with Spike, putting as much distance between them and here." Julie reassured Conner of Dawn's safety. "Now, I think everyone should weapon up. If it's the Eye Valhalla wants, he's going to have to fight for it."

* * *

"Did he have to bring lackeys?" Julie grumbled under her breath as she ploughed her sword through yet another Fyarl demon. All around her demons were engaged in a fight with one of the Scoobies. Every time one died, another took its place. Julie was getting quite tired of it, but the worst part was that Valhalla had yet to show up.

"Julie!" Angel called out, alerting her of the newest Fyarl demon advancing on her. The couple had stayed close together for that very reason. She smiled at her lover quickly before ducking a right fist aimed at her head.

The Fyarl demons had been attacking for the better part of an hour. It was clear to Julie that the two witches' powers were fading fast, and Willow surely had a concussion. Angel had a deep gash under his left shoulder blade, and Buffy's nose was probably broken by now. Julie herself was positive that her right arm was dislocated, and a couple of her ribs were cracked. It was safe to say that she was worried about what would happen if this went on much longer.

Fortunately—or unfortunately depending on how you look at it—the attacking Fyarl demons soon scattered, vanishing quickly. Julie knew that could only mean one thing...

"Quite the show, Julie. I'm impressed." Julie spun on her heel to face the door. A tall, broad shouldered, handsome Italian man in an expensive Armani suit stood in the doorway clapping his hands. The man side stepped a Fyarl demon's corpse on his way into the house. "Where's the Eye of Eden?"

"And why should I tell you, Valhalla?" Julie's grip tightened on her sword hilt. She couldn't read his mind easily, but she could at least be ready for a sudden attack.

"Because if you don't, your little friends here are all going to die." Valhalla looked over the small group. His eyes lingered on Angel a little longer than Julie was comfortable with, but she remained collected and calm.

"You obviously don't know my friends." Julie grinned.

As she had expected, that set Valhalla off. His calm exterior cracked, and he let out a feral growl before lunging at Julie. While he was in the air, he summoned a sword to his hand, swinging it to meet Julie's with a loud clang of metal on metal. Though his blow was powerful, Julie put a lot of force behind her defence.

On cue, the Fyarl demons reappeared, immediately busying up the other Scoobies. Somehow, though, the attacking demons didn't seem as important as their commander, and the gang simply went through the motions of killing them; no passion was behind their actions. Angel, Buffy, and Faith kept a close eye on the fight between the Anti-Slayer and the demon lord.

Though Julie was quick, Valhalla seemed quicker. Julie was just barely getting her sword up in time to parry Valhalla's blows. It was really beginning to wear on Julie. The part that unnerved her the most was that she knew Valhalla was holding back, that he was merely playing with her.

"Just give me the ring, Julie, and this can all end." Valhalla sneered at Julie as he managed to knock her sword out her hands. It slid across the floor, well out of her reach.

"Never." Julie spat. She hauled back her fist, and punched Valhalla square in the nose. She knew it wouldn't be enough to hurt him all that much, but his shock bought her a moment. She caught the axe Angel tossed to her, and swung at Valhalla's neck. Unfortunately, the demon lord had recovered in time to duck. "Do you never die?"

"You should know the answer to that, Julie." Valhalla grinned evilly, throwing Julie off. "You and I are not so different."

"I'm nothing like you." Julie spat, but it wasn't enough to convince herself. She shook her head to clear it; she had to stay focused. "I would never do the things you've done."

"Well, you're right about that." Valhalla grinned in a way that Julie wasn't entirely comfortable with. He made a quick gesture with his free, non-sword hand, and without warning the Fyarl demons grabbed each of the Scoobies. It suddenly became clear to Julie what Valhalla was doing.

"It won't work, Valhalla, but points for trying." Julie smirked smugly. The grin was wiped away as she first realized that none of the gang could get free, and the grin stayed away as Angel was brought forth. Valhalla's sword changed from metal to wood.

"Not so smug now, huh, Julie?" Valhalla couldn't help but laugh at the helpless look on the Anti-Slayer's face. He raised his now wooden sword, pressing the tip to Angel's chest. He looked expectantly at Julie. "The Eye, now."

"Julie, don't give it to him." Angel glared at Valhalla as he spoke, struggling against the hands that held him. He stared in utter shock as Julie fumbled to get the chain undone from around her neck. "Julie, no."

"Do you promise to leave Sunnydale and its civilians alone if I do?" Julie slid the ring off the gold chain. She held it tightly in her hand, refusing to look at Angel, knowing she would break down if she did. Instead she glared at Valhalla with an unwavering gaze. "That includes every single one of my friends."

"Oh...alright, I promise." Valhalla rolled his eyes as he consented. The air crackled with power at his words, which seemed to satisfy Julie. She handed over the Eye of Eden to a chorus of protests from the gathered Scoobies.

As soon as he had the ring in his possession, Julie jumped into action. She kicked the sharpened end of Valhalla's wood sword away from Angel's chest. The Fyarl demons holding him had relaxed, making it easy for him to escape their grasp. He quickly snapped the first demon's neck, and moved on to the second one.

Julie watched out of the corner of her eye as the others also escaped their detainers. She was only able to watch for a moment before Valhalla once again demanded her full attention. He swung his now metal sword toward her head, but Julie easily danced out of reach. She felt the hilt of a sword pressed into her palm as she and Angel pressed their backs together.

"Thanks." Julie whispered for Angel's ears only. She swung the sword out in front of her in an arc, causing Valhalla to jump back. Julie didn't pursue him, knowing he had to keep his promise. She remained in one place as the demon lord made a dash for the door.

With Valhalla gone, the Fyarl demons seemed at a loss of what to do. They were being paid to help Valhalla acquire the Eye of Eden, but they didn't know what to do now that their employer was gone. Going up against the Slayer was not something they wanted to do, so the decision was made for them. They fled.

"Are you okay?" Julie turned to Angel as soon as the last Fyarl demon was out the door. She looked him over in a frantic search for any more wounds than the shoulder gash. "Did he hurt you?"

"Why did you do that?" Angel asked with barely contained anger. He couldn't believe that they had gone to such lengths to protect the Eye only to have Julie just hand it over at the first sign of trouble.

"Whoa, for your information this was not the first sign of trouble." Julie stepped away from Angel. She couldn't believe what she was hearing; that Angel was mad at her. "Do you really think that I would choose the ring over your life? You'd be crazy if you did!"

"We don't even know if I would have died or not!" Angel's calm exterior snapped. He loved Julie so much, but he didn't get how she could pick him over the entire world. She should want to save humanity, not him.

"Exactly, you might have died! I wouldn't take that chance EVER!" Julie was not backing down from this. She knew that what she had done was the right thing to do. She wished it was as simple as just explaining why she had done it, but she knew it wasn't. "Angel, you don't understand. I am not Buffy! I was not the one who killed you, that was Buffy! I can't lose you! I love you Angel more than anything. Don't you get that?"

"Oh Julie, of course I do." Angel's body seemed to relax as the anger rushed right out of him. He stepped closer to Julie, enveloping her in his arms. Tears burned the back of his eyes but he fought to keep them from falling.

"You have got to be joking." Faith's angry voice broke through the haze that always seemed to surround the couple whenever they were like this. Julie stepped out of the hug, squaring off with Faith. "We just risked our asses for that ring, and then you hand it over as though it was nothing more than a powerless trinket. I knew you couldn't be trusted."

"The ring is just that: powerless." Julie remained icy calm towards Faith. Having Angel hug her and love her had helped cool her flaming anger, but Faith had just ignited the fire once again. "That ring _is_ nothing more than a powerless trinket. If you had listened at all yesterday you would know that."

"Oh my gods, I completely forgot about that." Buffy gasped as she remembered that Julie had taken the ring's power from it.

"But don't we still need the ring to destroy the power?" Tara voiced the question that was on everyone's minds.

"Then we'll get it back." Julie nodded. She had a plan already forming in her head. She struggled to keep her excitement off her face. She didn't want anyone else to know about it; the danger involved was too great. "The good news about all this is that he didn't figure out our greatest weakness."

"Our connection?" Buffy guessed. She breathed easily again when Julie nodded. She had hoped that Valhalla hadn't heard her thoughts seeing as all she thought about the whole time was what was going to happen if/when the demon lord found out. "So we're safe?"

"For now." Julie nodded. "But I wouldn't get too comfortable and relaxed. You can bet that once he figures out that the Eye is powerless that he will be back more vengeful than ever."

"Is that when we will get the ring back?" Willow asked. She wasn't particularly looking forward to meeting Valhalla and his cronies in battle again. It had drained her of a lot of her energy.

"That was the idea." Julie's smile was slightly sympathetic toward the Wiccan. She knew what it was like to feel drained of your energy. She nodded he head toward the stairs, gesturing for Willow to go rest up for a while. "You should go nap to regain your strength. We'll clean up down here."

"Are you sure?" Willow asked doubtfully, looking around the living room at the bloody, chaotic mess. Corpses lay riddled about, blood splattered almost every surface, and furniture lay in ruins on the floor.

"Wil, you should get some rest. You too, Tara." Buffy read her friend well. It was obvious that neither of the Wiccans wanted to leave the mess partially caused by them just so they could go rest. "We can handle the mess down here. It's nothing new for us to take care of a few corpses."

"Okay, but wake me up in an hour to help." Willow made Buffy silently promise to wake her before she and Tara headed toward the stairs. .

* * *

"So what did it take for Buffy to convince you to leave her to fight while you ran?" Dawn was bitter about being taken away from the fight yet again. Buffy had tried it once before with Xander to get them both away from the danger. Unfortunately for Dawn, she hadn't been expecting or planning for it this time. "You do realize that she wanted you gone, too, because she doesn't think you can handle the fight, right?"

"Dawn, your sister loves both of us, and doesn't want to see either of us hurt. Now don't go telling Peaches this, but I am still too weak to face the demon lord, and I would rather be driving you away from the danger than face it right now." Spike glanced over at Dawn. "Besides road trips are always better with company."

"What do you mean? We are running away, not going on a road trip." Dawn frowned at Spike's words.

"That's what you think, lil bit." Spike's face broke out in a mischievous grin. He shifted gears as he joined the traffic on the highway. .

* * *

"I don't think I have ever smelt anything so bad in my life." Buffy glared at the pile of burning demon corpses. It had taken her and Julie hours to move all the dead Fyarl demons out of Buffy's living room to a secluded area where they could dispose of them.

"I have." Julie crossed her arms and wrinkled her nose. Though she had smelt worse, she had to admit that burning Fyarl demon was not a pleasant smell. "Spike and Dawn should be home soon."

"I hope so." Buffy looked out over the city. The sun had just set and the streetlights were coming on. Though Buffy knew differently, Sunnydale seemed peaceful from this high above the city.

The Slayer and Anti-Slayer stood alone on the hill overlooking the city. It was a quiet night from the looks of things, leaving Buffy's mind free to wander over the eventful day that had just happened. Julie, however, was busy pushing her mind out to wander over any beings in the area. She knew that the bonfire would attract attention, she just hoped it wasn't demonic by nature.

"So that was Valhalla, huh?" Buffy finally broke the silence. She looked over at Julie, but the Anti-Slayer kept her eyes forward. "He didn't seem to be all that much."

"You're a fool if you think Valhalla is an easy opponent." Julie still stared out over the city, but her voice had changed. "Did you think Glory was easy? No, you didn't, so don't go underestimating Valhalla. Glory may have been a god, but Valhalla is strong enough that he might as well be too. Valhalla is stronger than our combined strength, but we have advantages that he doesn't know of. That doesn't mean, however, that we can even for a second believe that this will be easy for us."

"I...I...I didn't mean...I'm sorry." Buffy stumbled with her words. She just didn't know what to say, so her mouth took on all the qualities of a goldfish.

"Don't sweat it." Julie finally looked at Buffy, her body relaxing as the tension drained out of her. An easy smile managed to grace her lips. "I just want to make sure that you understand the severity of the situation."

"And I do. I was just expecting Valhalla to do more instead of getting a clan of Fyarl demons to do his dirty work for him." Buffy quickly backtracked now that she had the chance.

"He likes to keep people on their toes." Julie let out a short, humourless laugh. She hated Valhalla with every iota of her being, and she wanted nothing more than to see him banished to some Hell dimension where he was powerless and tortured for all eternity.

"You seem to know a lot about this demon lord. Why?" Buffy eyed Julie up out of the corner of her eye as she once again looked down at the city.

"I studied him before I took the Eye from him." Julie said with a shrug. "I needed everything to be perfect for when I stole it, so I made sure that I knew everything I could possibly learn about Valhalla. I do not take failure well."

"I guessed as much." Buffy couldn't help the smirk that came to her face. Julie rolled her eyes, and started to walk away. Buffy stared after her for a moment before quickly trying to catch up. "Oh come on, as if anyone could think differently. The person would have to have no brain to not know you were bad with failure. Anyone who has known you for five seconds could see that. Would you wait up?"

Buffy didn't catch up with Julie until they got to the car. Julie was waiting in the front passenger seat. Buffy had refused to let Julie drive. That morning, they had been in a hurry, and Buffy hadn't realized how crazy a driver Julie was until they had moved the first few corpses out to the fire site. Buffy had then demanded that she drive the rest of the time, because she was pretty sure her heart wouldn't be able to handle it. Demons of various kinds couldn't scare her, but Julie's driving terrified her. So now Julie was forced to sit shotgun.

"Angel just called to say that Spike and Dawn are back." Julie informed Buffy as the Slayer got in the car. Buffy's face immediately brightened at the thought of seeing her fiancé.

It didn't take them long at all to get back to the house. Buffy's driving had instantly become as erratic and dangerous as Julie's was. Had anyone other than Julie been in the vehicle, they would have thrown themselves out the door and to safety. The prospect of seeing Spike had turned Buffy's brain to mush, and she clearly wasn't thinking straight. More than once Julie had to reach across to either steady the wheel or save a pedestrian.

"You know I may be a crazy driver, but at least I stop when the light is red, and at least I stay on the road." Julie exclaimed as she entered the house. Spike entered the front hallway as Buffy was closing the door. Julie stormed past Spike, pointing a finger at him. "Your future wife is insane."

"What was that about?" Spike stared after Julie for all of two seconds, until the form of his Slayer was pressed against him. His thoughts immediately forgot about the Anti-Slayer, and he relished in the chance to be able to hold the love of his life in his arms.

"I missed you so much." Buffy's voice was muffled by Spike's chest, and he could feel his shirt starting to get wet spots. Concern took over, and he curled a finger under Buffy's chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"What's wrong, baby?" Spike asked gently as he wiped away Buffy's tears with his thumb. It tore him apart to see her cry. When she didn't respond, his concern grew deeper. "Buffy?"

"I'm just so happy to see you." Buffy finally spoke up much to Spike's relief. "It hurt so much to watch you leave this morning without knowing if I would see you again or not."

"Oh Buffy." Spike pulled her into a crushing hug. He never wanted to release her from his hold so long as she loved him, which he knew she always would. Buffy sighed, releasing all the pent up tension from her body now that she was safely being held by her lover. "I love you, pet."

"I love you more." Buffy closed her eyes, and pressed her ear to his chest. His heart beat strong and steady below her ear, and it comforted her greatly. She flared her nostrils as she breathed in so she could smell him better. Worn leather, and cigarettes greeted her nose, and she couldn't help but sigh in contentment. That day could have gone horribly wrong for both of them, but it hadn't, and Buffy could feel some of the stress weighing her down ease off a little. "I'm just so happy that this day is over."

"We should probably get in there." Spike pulled away slightly. He didn't want to let go of Buffy, but he knew that if they didn't join the rest of the gathered Scoobies, someone was bound to interrupt them. Buffy nodded in resigned agreement as she too stepped away. Just before she could enter the living room, Spike's words stopped her. "Oh, and Buffy, I missed you today too."

A smile lit up her face, and she turned to enter the room with a spring in her step. Spike followed close behind her, managing to slip his hand into hers. They were greeted by the sight of Dawn showing off all her purchases of the day. Buffy gave Spike a confused look, causing him to grin sheepishly and shrug.

"I couldn't help it." Spike admitted to spoiling Dawn. "She looked so upset about being taken away from the fight yet again. I just had to cheer her up somehow."

"By taking her shopping?" Julie was leaning against the wall next to the doorway with Angel. Julie raised an eyebrow at Spike once she had his attention. "What if Valhalla had followed you instead? You would have put an entire mall of people at risk."

"Do you ever think about having that stick in your ass removed, or do you find it comfortable there?" Spike snapped. He refused to let Julie question his actions. Not this time.

If Angel hadn't been there to stop her, everyone in the room knew that Spike would no longer exist. Julie's anger heated the entire room, so much so that it felt like a sauna. Her eyes started to glow a deep red that seemed to tunnel on forever. Her skin even began to change this time, darkening to a burnt amber. Julie stood, rooted to one spot by her burning rage. It was obvious that she was trying to rein it in, but was failing at it.

That is, she was failing until Angel touched her. There was an immediate, noticeable difference in Julie the second Angel's hand grazed her heated skin. Her skin started to cool, her eyes dulled, and the room temperature dropped a couple of degrees. Angel ran his hand up Julie's still shaking arm, resting on her shoulder for a mere moment before moving on. He lightly caressed her neck, and brought his hand around to her back. He ran one finger down her spine, and rested his hand fully on the small of her back.

Julie released a deep sigh, giving herself a shake to get rid of the excess anger still clinging to her. She leaned into Angel's touch, finding great comfort in it. She closed her eyes to take a moment for herself—to calm herself down. After several deep, soothing breaths, Julie opened her eyes again which had returned to their normal colour.

Everyone in the room watched, tensed for action. Julie was unpredictable at best, and none of them could tell what she was going to do, especially since none of them had ever seen her that angry before. Though they didn't exactly know what else Julie had heard from Spike, it seemed as though she was overreacting more than a little bit.

"Would you all just shut up?" Julie snapped. It was as though everyone had forgotten that she could hear their thoughts, and if there was one thing you didn't want to forget about her it was that. She closed her eyes again, struggling to block out everyone's minds. Angel, however, forced his mind upon her, making her listen to him.

A new kind of bliss took over and changed Julie. Angel was showing her flashback images of the day they met when Julie was Julie, not a part of Buffy. Angel let her be privy to his deepest thoughts when looking back on that day. She could tell that even though she did try to stake him before she realized who he was, that this was a bright day in a horde of dark ones for Angel.

Slowly, as if waking from a dream, Julie opened her eyes. She turned to Angel, and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. She wanted to never let go of Angel, and she cursed anyone who dared to try and make her. She could feel all the muscles in his body relax, and she could hear his heart below her ear. All of that, along with Angel's hand stroking her back, helped her to calm down and keep a level head.

Keeping the link between them open, Julie finally released Angel, and turned back to the Scoobies. "I have to apologize for the way I just acted. After the day we all just had, it is understandable for us to be on edge, but I should have kept my head just now. I'm sorry I didn't."

"It's been a long day for all of us." Spike said by way of accepting Julie's apology. They shared an awkward smile. "So what happened today? What did I miss?"

"Well... You missed a fight against an army of Fyral demons." Buffy began to list off the events, but didn't get beyond her first finger due to an interruption on Faith's part.

"And you missed Julie handing over the Eye of Eden without much of a fight!" Faith burst out, not able to hold in her anger any longer. Buffy dropped her hand, turning to Faith with an exasperated look.

"You did _what_?" Spike's eyes burned as he clenched his fists and flared his nostrils. Buffy watched the muscle on his jaw line twitch as he clenched and unclenched his teeth. Buffy was positive that Spike was going to hit Julie.

"I did what any of you would have done." Julie's eyes flicked around the room, landing briefly on each person before falling back on Spike. "I know for a fact that you would have done the same thing had you been in my position and Buffy had been in Angel's. There is no doubt in my mind that if the only chance to save Buffy was to hand over a ring—a powerless ring, I might add—you would have done exactly the same thing."

"What do you mean?" Spike's anger faltered uncertainly. "What happened?"

"Valhalla had a wooden sword to Angel's heart, and all of us were tied up with the Fyral demons." Buffy explained, laying a calming hand on Spike's forearm. "And since we don't know for sure that that won't kill him, Julie made to decision not to risk it."

"By giving the enemy a _powerful_ weapon." Faith added in a grumble.

"I have its power! How many times do I have to tell you that?" Julie threw her hands in the air. Faith was draining her mental energy quickly. Not to mention Faith was making it increasingly difficult for Julie to keep from killing her. "The power is still nestled within me, dormant without its vessel. Until it leaves me, which is highly unlikely without my permission, there is nothing to worry about."

"How do you know that Valhalla doesn't have the power to take the Eye's power from you?" Faith crossed her arms. She really didn't like Julie, and definitely wasn't going to go easy on her, even if she was right.

"Oh, give it a rest, Faith. We get it, you don't like me. And guess what, I don't like you either, so suck it up and deal. We have to work together on this, or Valhalla _will_ win and get the Eye's power back." Julie glared at Faith with the intensity of Hell glowing in her eyes. "None of us are here to baby you through this. You were brought up to speed. Now stay caught up."

"Look it's been a very tiring night for all of us. Maybe we should call it a night." Buffy was desperate to change the subject. "Things have been cleaned up as best they can around here, and I'm sure Xander will be..."

"We forgot about Xander!" Willow slapped a hand over her mouth. Buffy's mouth opened and closed as she attempted to comprehend how they could have possibly forgotten about Xander. The two girls dove for the phone, Willow grabbing it first.

"Well, B, we were a bit busy." Faith tried to console the blonde Slayer. "He'll understand."

* * *

"I can't believe you didn't call Anya and I!?" Xander sat in the Summers' living room in shock. He had just been brought up to speed on all that was going on. "Is it so hard to pick up the phone and call your good friend?"

"Honey, calm down." Anya leaned forward to take Xander's hand. "Buffy's forgetfulness was our gain. Think of it in terms of money—"

"Xander look, I'm really sorry." Buffy cut Anya off before the ex-demon could go into a huge lecture about gain/loss in terms of money and how is compared to everyday situations. "Julie had a vision, and it was a snap decision, and we really didn't have a lot of time."

"It was hard, Xander. Faith had to be fully caught up on all of Valhalla's quirks." Willow backed up Buffy. She felt positively awful about not calling Xander or Anya sooner. "Plus we had Conner and Dawnie to worry about. And Spike and Angel. And..."

"There were a thousand things going on all at once." Julie summed up the list Willow was about to rattle off. She didn't feel the guilt like everyone else, so she had no qualms being blunt and less verbal than the others. "What I'm surprised about is that you didn't come over of your own accord. Usually you would have just shown up out of the blue."

"She's right, you know." Buffy added as it dawned on her that what Julie was saying was actually right. "What happened today that stopped you from coming over. Usually you're here around 11 or so."

"Well...er...um..." Xander rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with a good excuse. Everyone knew that his life didn't exactly put a lot of strain on his ability to appear at the Summers' residence in the late morning. Anya nudged him in the ribs, gesturing for Xander to continue. "Do we have to tell them, Anya?"

"I don't see why we wouldn't, Xander." Anya looked incredulously at her lover. There had always been issues between them, but, of course, they would never talk about them openly with each other. She knew why Xander wasn't talking, and she knew why she wasn't going to be the first to mention what had taken place at their apartment earlier that day.

"Oh my gods, would you two just come out with it already?" Julie rolled her eyes. The inner turmoil roiling inside the couple was enough to drive her crazy, especially since she was the only one who could hear it. "Do not make me tell them. It's not like it is even that big of a deal."

"Having demons living with us is a huge deal, Julie! But I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand that!" Xander burst out suddenly. Everyone looked taken aback, even Julie. She knew he was going to say something, but she didn't know he was going to be so forceful about it.

"What do you mean by that?" Julie raised an eyebrow. She was getting very tired of being confused with a demon. But everyone else started to talk over her.

"Angel and Spike are demons." Buffy protested immediately, one of the many voices speaking over Julie's.

"I was a demon once!" Anya's voice hit a high decibel as she yelled at Xander.

"You know, not all demons are bad." Angel tried to put in his own word, but Spike stepped forward and spoke over him...loudly.

"Oi! Not all demons are evil. They may have been evil, but not all of them stay that way!" Spike complained.

Willow sat quietly until everyone had stopped talking, then she asked what was on her mind. "Who is staying with you?"

"My in-laws!" Xander looked at the red head as he answered with a pleading look on his face. _Help me!_


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"But haven't you guys been married for years? Why would they be visiting now?" Willow asked, frowning. Anya and Xander had been married for three years, and Xander's in-laws had visited shortly after the ceremony.

"Why didn't they visit before? Like shortly after the wedding like Xander's family did?" Buffy was just as confused as Willow about it.

Sure the wedding had been small; just the Scoobies had been invited, but both sides of the family had been alerted. The Harris family quickly piled into town to celebrate. Anya's side, the demons, hadn't so much as responded to the notice. It was odd that three years later, they had decided to all show up all at once with no notice.

"Can these...demons be trusted?" Julie asked. From what she had read in the others' minds, Anya's "relatives" weren't actually humans but rather they were all demons.

"What are you insinuating?" Anya puffed up at the possibility that Julie might be insulting her circle of friends.

"Oh come on, Anya." Julie rolled her eyes. "Why would I insult your friends? I am good friends with several demons. A week ago, I was dating a demon. All I meant was that your demon friends have chosen an odd time to visit."

"The entire demon world is buzzing about the discovery of the Eye of Eden and Valhalla." Angel added after checking his phone. "We can't know what any of them want with it. We only know what Valhalla wants it, and has a lot of pull on other demons."

"This wouldn't be the first time Halfrek has gone all Vengeance Demon on us." Willow nodded. Julie's paranoia was making sense. They couldn't and shouldn't trust anyone. She turned to Julie. "Do you think you should meet her, and search her mind?"

"It couldn't hurt.' Julie shrugged. It was hard to predict if Halfrek would be able to block her out or not. The Vengeance Demon had years of practice. "I might not find anything. It would also be good to simply read them all. How many are at your place?"

"7 demons." Xander threw Willow and Buffy another look to be saved.

"If it bothers you that much, Xander, sleep here." Anya huffed. She was very unimpressed with his childishness. If he couldn't deal with it, he could leave. She wanted to still be allowed to hang out with her friends. Since becoming human again, her old friends didn't want to see her anymore.

"It's not that, Anya, and you know it." Xander turned to his wife. "I'm happy that your friends have come to visit. They just have picked a really bad time to do it."

"If you want, I can ask them to leave." Anya sighed. The gang was shocked by the offer. Anya wasn't one to offer things like that.

"No, no, no." Xander wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, kissing the side of her head. "I'm glad your friends are in town, but you have to admit that everything about this visit is very odd."

"I think what Xander is trying to say is that it's been three years since you got married. Why wait until now to visit?" Willow stepped in before Anya could interrogate Xander further.

"Look, I really think we are focusing on the wrong thing." Julie broke in. She hated all this guessing and questioning. "Anya, your friends picked a horrible time to visit, and are now suspected of being involved with Valhalla because of it. Xander, Anya wants you to be happy, and she wants you to be able to speak openly with her. And everyone else, Anya is trying to put a good effort into how she acts, so you have got to stop acting surprised when she isn't selfish."

Julie sat down in a huff, all the hot air leaving her. She hated having to do that, but she was tired of everybody hiding their feelings and not saying what was on their minds. Angel wrapped an arm around her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. She smiled at him, happy that he was on her side and that they could speak their minds openly to each other.

"Did you ask to enter my mind?" Faith turned on Julie suddenly. She did not look happy at all.

"Actually, I did, but I don't expect you to understand how." Julie ignored Angel's silent warning. She was not about to back down from an argument with Faith. Just as quickly as she had sat down, she was up again. "I wouldn't have been able to slip in without you noticing had I not asked."

"Oh yeah? Is that so?" Faith took a menacing step toward Julie. "So everyone in this room gave you permission just now to enter their minds?"

"That is exactly what I am saying." Julie nodded, a smug smile creeping over her lips. "Don't try it, Faith. You will only end up getting hurt."

"Ah, so I can feel it when you enter my mind." Faith backed off, deep in thought. "I'll have to keep that in mind for next time."

"Okay... Moving on." Willow eyed the two women nervously. Julie and Faith would probably do more damage than Faith and Buffy would, and this house had seen a lot of damage in the past. "What do we do about Valhalla having the ring?"

"Absolutely nothing." Julie shook her head several times. "I know what you are all going to say, but my answer is not going to change. You are going to have nothing more to do with this."

"Whoa, hold up." Buffy interjected, holding up her hand. "What are you talking about? Of course we are going to have something to do with the ring."

"No, you're not." Julie faced the entire room. Angel opened his mouth to protest right along with Buffy, but Julie held up her hand to stop him. "I am going to do this alone. I came here not really thinking through what I was doing. I realize now the mistake I made."

"So what? Now you're going to go against Valhalla all by yourself after coming here to beg for our help?" Spike couldn't believe what he was hearing. He got to his feet in anger. "You can't just storm into our lives, turn them upside down, and then simply disappear."

"First of all, I didn't beg. I've never begged for anything in my separate life." Julie jabbed Spike's chest with two fingers. "Second, I didn't say anything about disappearing. I am merely taking matters into my own hands."

"But why?" Willow asked, joining in on the protesting. "I think we did better today than we could have hoped for."

"It'll just be easier for me to go this alone." Julie insisted before leaving the house.

She paused on the porch, contemplating if she should take the Porsche or just walk back to the mansion. She could hear Angel following her out, so she decided to walk. Julie knew that she wouldn't be able to hide from him for very long. She might as well get it over with.

She started off down the street in the general direction of the mansion. Julie wasn't surprised when Angel showed up next to her. They walked in silence for a few blocks. Angel didn't know where to begin, and Julie wasn't about to start it.

"So where will you go?" Angel asked awkwardly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He didn't want her to leave, especially now that they were finally beginning a stable relationship, or at least a semi-stable relationship.

"I don't know." Julie answered quietly. "I also don't know how long I will be gone. I'll probably stop by the Hyperion Hotel to talk to Wes about tracking Valhalla. He'll probably be able to supply me with some sort of spell or something to help me."

"Will you call?" Angel asked. He felt like he was in high school, and asking a girl out to a dance. Angel was afraid of the answer, but he just had to know.

"Of course I will, Angel." Julie couldn't take it anymore. She stopped dead in her tracks, and turned to Angel with tears burning her eyes. She knew she was hurting him, but she had to go. "Angel, I doubt I will have to go very far. Valhalla will eventually realize that he has been deceived, and come looking for me."

"When do you leave?" Angel's spirits momentarily lifted until he processed the last part of what she said. He didn't want his girlfriend to be facing the Demon Lord all by herself.

"As soon as we get back to the mansion, and I have a chance to pack some things." Julie delivered the news. She could feel the dismay roll off Angel, and she knew that she was crushing him. Biting her lip, Julie made a quick decision. "Perhaps, if I had a reason to, I could postpone my departure."

"Please stay just one night." Angel reached out, and grasped Julie's hand. He squeezed it gently to help in his pleading.

"I'll stay." Julie nodded. She let Angel pull her into his side as they continued down the street. She smiled, leaning into his hold.

"Today was crazy." Angel kissed the top of Julie's head. "I can't wait to be in bed, curled up with you."

"I know what you mean." Julie sighed. Her body was now beginning to feel the pain from earlier. "Bed and a really big ice pack sound blissful right now."

"You should have grabbed the car." Angel groaned as his body protested the walk it was making.

"I didn't want to make a quick escape." Julie tilted her head slightly to look up at Angel. "I knew you were following close behind me."

"Ah, I see." Angel nodded. He figured it was something like that.

They walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way to the mansion. It was a long walk, but the couple didn't mind. Nothing disturbed their trek through the woods, no animals, and, more surprisingly, no demons. The Porsche was sitting in the driveway when they emerged from the trees.

"Here we go." Julie groaned. She could already sense the conflict on the other side. Spike and Buffy were waiting for them, and neither were overly impressed.

"Maybe it won't be that bad." Angel tried to reassure Julie, while holding back laughter. Julie glared at him briefly before she opened the door.

Spike and Buffy were sitting on the couch, waiting for Angel and Julie. As Julie had predicted, neither of them looked overly happy with Julie. Spike sat with his arms crossed, an eyebrow raised. Buffy was less statue-like, twirling a dagger in her hand.

"Okay, lay it on me." Julie sat down across from the blonde couple. Angel went to the kitchen to grab a packet of blood.

"Why are you leaving?" Buffy asked before Spike could open his mouth.

"Valhalla won't take his time in coming back here for me." Julie started. "I don't want what happened today to happen again. I have gone up against him before, and I won... Sort of. What happened was what I wanted to happen. He is dangerous, and I just don't think that I should put you or anyone else in Sunnydale in danger."

"That's bull shit!" Spike couldn't hold it in anymore. "Sunnydale has seen danger before, and it certainly will see more in the future. We live on a Hellmouth for Christ's sake!"

"I didn't say that. Wow, you are really into putting words in my mouth." Julie raised an eyebrow to mimic Spike. "Look, Valhalla has made a promise not to harm you guys, and the Powers That Be will hold him to his word. It's only conditional. I've already breached the deal by not giving him the Eye of Eden in full. So when he realizes that, he will be back, and he will be pissed."

"Is that really so bad?" Spike shrugged. Julie and Buffy looked at him like he didn't have a brain."This guy doesn't seem to be that bright. You'd think that he would be able to tell that the ring doesn't actually have the Eye of Eden power. I mean, he is supposed to be some great and powerful Demon Lord, but so far he has just been a ponce."

"You're an idiot, Spike." Angel smacked the back of the blonde's head as he walked back into the room. "Are you really that ignorant?"

"I don't suggest you underestimate Valhalla." Julie growled out of frustration. It came out angry and feral. "He is dangerous, contrary to what happened today."

"Anyway, he will be back, and wanting the ring." Angel changed the subject. He really didn't want to waste anymore time then they had to talking to Buffy and Spike. He really wanted Julie all to himself, because he didn't know when he would be seeing her next.

"I need to leave." Julie insisted to Buffy and Spike. "And while I am away, leading Valhalla all across the globe, you guys can have time to figure out what needs to be done to destroy the Eye. I _will_ be returning with it."

"What if you don't?" Buffy asked quietly. Julie didn't have time to reach out to Buffy's mind to figure out what she meant before the Slayer continued. "What if you don't get the ring back?"

"Then I don't come back." Julie answered quickly. "I'm getting that ring back, and until I do, I won't be returning."

"So let's say you never get the Eye back, does that mean you will never be returning?" Spike asked, mildly upset that there was a possibility that Julie would never be coming back to Sunnydale. Spike gave his head a shake, surprised that he felt that way.

"Theoretically, yes, but I can't die until Buffy does." Julie laid a hand on Angel's forearm to calm and reassure him. "So I will be able to chase Valhalla until Buffy dies. Which with all of you guys watching her back, she should last long enough."

"Long enough for you to get the ring?" Angel asked clarification.

"Yeah. The team at Angel Investigations are in full out research mode, and are willing to help you in any way possible." Julie nodded. She stood up, letting them know that the conversation was over. "I'm off to bed. I have an early morning to look forward to."

"Good night." Buffy nodded her understanding.

Angel and Julie left the room, and headed up the stairs. Buffy and Spike stayed a few more minutes on the couch, processing what had to be done. Spike had to feeling that Julie wouldn't be returning with the ring, and it made him very uneasy.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"How long has Julie been gone?" Willow asked quietly one afternoon as the female members of the Scoobie Gang basked in the late summer sun on the patio at the mansion. Julie was a touchy subject, and had been since she had left.

"Two months, one week, and six days." Angel sighed. He just wanted to go back to bed. It was one in the afternoon, and Angel hadn't gotten in until just before dawn. He was exhausted, and tired of the gang worrying about him. He was fine.

Julie had left without waking him, just leaving a short note about she would be back soon and that she loved him. She also had left behind her Claddagh ring for "safe keeping". They hadn't heard from her since. The summer had passed by in a blur. Angel had reverted back to vampire hours, waking up at dusk, hunting all night, and collapsing in bed at dawn. Buffy and Spike had moved out shortly after Julie had left, not their own choice. Angel didn't want to see them, any of them.

Recently the Scoobies had begun to seriously worry about him, so they had started to visit him on a regular basis. Angel simply endured them until they got the message and went away. It usually didn't take them this long, and he was seriously contemplating just asking them to leave.

"Has Giles heard anything yet?" Angel asked hopefully. It was the only thing that kept him awake for these visits. The recently returned Watcher had taken it upon himself to use his council connections to try and track down the Anti-Slayer. Meanwhile, Angel hunted out people new to Sunnydale to question them about Julie.

"I'm sorry Angel." Buffy shook her head. She hated seeing Angel like this, but she knew that there was nothing they could do. "Have you talked to Wesley or any of the guys at Angel Investigations?"

"Still nothing." Angel practically growled. He was tempted to go and hunt her down himself. But he knew he couldn't. She had asked him not to. The answers her found, he wouldn't like. He had to trust her judgement. And so he was stuck in Sunnydale feeling utterly useless and very much abandoned.

"Maybe you could meet us at the bronze later tonight?" Dawn asked hopefully. She knew what a toll Angel's depression was taking on everyone and she wanted to see him happy again. "Take the night off. There is a huge end-of-the-summer bash going on tonight."

"Oh yeah. I forgot school starts back up on Tuesday." Willow had to fight down her envy. She missed going to school... Okay, so she was still a huge dork. She didn't care.

"I wish I could have forgotten." Buffy grumbled. She was not looking forward to going back to work, especially with everything that was going on.

"Maybe we should boycott it." Dawn suggested, her face brightening at the thought of protesting the educational system.

"Now Dawn." Willow crossed her arms and set the young brunette with a stern gaze. "This is your senior year. After this, no more school if you don't want to go."

"Plus my senior year was the most exciting year of high school for me." Tara chipped in. "I mean, I realize I didn't go to school on a Hellmouth so it was actually pretty mundane comparatively, but it was still fun."

"Thanks for trying, Tara, but I think Dawn is too traumatized from my senior year to be excited for her own." Buffy smiled gratefully at the Wiccan couple.

"Yeah, I may not have actually been here for that, but the memories are still very real." Dawn winced at the disgusting image of the mayor's ascended snake form blowing up. "That was just gross."

"Hey, it had to happen." Buffy defended herself. "My methods may not be the best, but they certainly get the job done. Right, Angel?"

"I think we tired him out." Willow nodded toward Angel, who was resting his head on his arms, asleep.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll take him upstairs." Buffy stood up. She waited until the others had cleared out before she moved around the table to shake his shoulder. "Angel, wake up."

"Huh? What?" Angel jerked awake. It took him a moment to realize that the girls had left, and he was alone with Buffy on his patio. "Did I fall asleep? I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. Come on." Buffy pulled up on his arm to keep him balanced steady. "You should go back upstairs to sleep."

"Yeah, I have a long night ahead to look forward to." Angel let slip before he could catch himself. Buffy frowned as she helped inside.

"You should listen to Dawn." Buffy told him. She didn't want to get too involved with his affairs. "Not about going to the Bronze, although it is always a really cool party... You should take the night off."

"Maybe, but a new vamp nest has moved into town. I was going to interrogate them about Julie. See if they had seen or heard anything about her in their travels." Angel explained. He didn't want to tell Buffy anything, but he knew she would just hound him if he didn't. They stopped by the kitchen so Angel could grab a packet of blood before they headed upstairs.

"Do you need back up?" Buffy was desperate for a good fight. Between Julie leaving and Angel's questioning, the Hellmouth had been rather quiet. The only person Buffy had to fight was Spike, and even then training couldn't really be counted as a fight. It just wasn't the same, especially now that he wasn't a vampire. On top of that, training just wasn't cutting it anymore.

"Not tonight, sorry. But if you ever want to spar, come here just before dusk." Angel smiled at her as they ascended the stairs. Buffy looked at him in shock. She knew he couldn't actually read minds, but it still made her wonder when he said things like that.

"I will totally be here tomorrow night, then." Buffy was excited. Sparring with Angel was always a nice treat for her. Spike was more a brawler, and was usually all over the place. Angel was more methodical, and really made Buffy work to win.

"Oh, and Buffy, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Angel stopped the blonde Slayer from leaving right away. They stood outside his and Julie's bedroom door; a door he both hated and loved to see.

"I know, but I can't help it." Buffy blushed a little. "I care about you, Angel. I may not love you in the same way that I love Spike, but i do still care a lot about you. We all do, and we just want you to be okay."

"Thank you." Angel opened his arms, letting Buffy step into them. He squeezed her tightly for a moment, pulling away soon after starting the hug.

"I should get going. Spike will probably be up soon." Buffy cleared her throat. "He's been sleeping in a lot lately. It's kind of annoying."

"That's what you have decided is annoying about Spike?" Angel teased. He patted her shoulder with a small smile spreading his lips. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you." Buffy smiled up at the dark half-vampire. "I'll let you get some sleep."

Angel nodded, and retreated into his bedroom. Buffy lingered for a moment before deciding to leave. She took her time walking back across town. She had a lot on her mind. Between Angel's depression, and Spike's depression, she didn't know what to do. Julie's disappearance wasn't helping matters. Everything would be at least slightly better if the Anti-Slayer at least checked in every once in a while.

"How is he?" Spike's hair was mussed and he was rubbing sleep from his eyes as Buffy entered the house. She kissed him lightly as a greeting. "Is he still depressed about Julie being gone?"

"She has been gone a long time." Buffy defended Angel. Though they weren't related anymore, Angel and Spike were still at each other's throats. "But yes, Angel is still depressed. Can you blame him, though?"

"I guess not, but how am I supposed train if he is taking away all my kills?" Spike pouted. He didn't have his vampire enhancements anymore, but that didn't mean he had lost the will to fight. In fact, he was getting just as bored as Buffy, having only her as a sparring partner.

"I'm worried about him, and what will happen if Julie doesn't check in soon." Buffy sighed. Spike pulled her against his bare chest, hugging her tightly. He kissed the top of her head, hoping he could comfort her.

"Angel will be fine. It'll just take some time." Spike tried to reassure Buffy, but he knew it wasn't working. Nothing he could say would help her stop worrying. It was natural for her.

"I wonder where Julie is?" Buffy mumbled into Spike's chest.

* * *

"HELP!" Julie turned her head at the voice. Another voice? Here? Spinning in a circle, she looked desperately for the source.

When she didn't find one, and the voice had stopped, she continued on her way. She wove in and out of the trees in the dark dead forest. This was a new setting. Usually Valhalla had her chasing him through a deserted city of some sort. She had to admit, the demon had a flare for the dramatics.

Julie paused for a moment, stretching out her mind. There were no creatures around that could have called for help. There were no creatures around period. Just like all the other places, this one was deserted. So empty, in fact, that she knew Valhalla had already left.

"Damn it!" Julie screamed at the top of her lungs. He voice echoed back at her, and she knew she was following in Valhalla's footsteps and leaving the forest as well.

"Julie? Are you waking up?" A distant voice called to her. Julie sighed as she accepted the fog that began to cloud her vision. "Julie..."

"There she is." Gunn's voice sounded relieved as he watched Julie's eyelids flutter open.

"It may take her a moment. We need to check her vitals, and her senses, but she seems to be fine." Wesley breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I was so close to getting him this time." Julie grumbled. Ignoring the hands trying to hold her down, she sat up. She rubbed her head, a headache pounding away behind her eyes. "Two things: how long was I out for, and why am I awake?"

"Your brain activity was way down, lower than usual." Wesley glanced at the clipboard in his hands. "And your heart rate was sky rocketing."

"You've been out for 13 days." Gunn checked his watch to make sure he had the right date. Julie rubbed her head some more before stretching.

"Has Angel called?" Julie asked quietly after a moment of thought. 13 days was a long time, especially when it only felt like a day at the most. She knew now that she was awake, she should call Angel, but he wouldn't understand.

"He calls every day." Wesley answered just as quietly. He hated that he was in this situation, but he didn't possess the willpower to say 'no' to the Anti-Slayer. "He doesn't know you are here."

"As it should be." Julie visibly shook herself to get rid o the feeling of betrayal that was eating away at her. "It's better this way."

"Will you ever tell him?" Gunn asked in the lull that followed.

"Well, if he ever asks directly, I will have to tell him." Julie's smile was bitter-sweet. It was odd for her to be feeling the sensation of letting someone down, and she hated it. "That's the beauty and the ugliness of not being able to lie."

"So explain to me again why you have to go into a self-induced coma to chase down this guy?" Gunn frowned. The details of this whole thing were still very shady for him, and he was having a hard time understanding her motives.

"Well, I could chase him down the old-fashioned way, but that would take way more time and time isn't exactly limitless for me." Julie explained for what felt like the millionth time. "And because my powers are linked to Valhalla based on the fact that he has the Eye of Eden's physical form and I have its powers, we can easily find each other on the spirit plane. The only way to enter the spirit plane for someone who is still alive is through sleep.

"The issue there is that I can die in my sleep. Buffy won't be able to bring me back. Valhalla knows that if I die in my dream state, I stay in a coma here, and he doesn't want to risk that until he gets what he wants from me." Julie sighed. She wasn't exactly ready to face the fact that she might not be able to ever go back to Angel.

"So really, we should be stopping you from chasing Valhalla this way?" Gunn did not like the sound of this plan. There wasn't much he could do, though, but he definitely hated the idea of losing Julie like that.

"Yes, and no. If I die while sleeping, the Eye of Eden's powers stay with me. Valhalla won't do that. He needs and wants those powers so he won't risk it." Julie waved away their concern along with her own.

"What about the other demons in these planes you go to? Shouldn't we be worried about them?" Wesley was with Gunn on this one. He silently wished that he could actually stop her. But they were both powerless against the Anti-Slayer.

"There aren't any. These places were created by Valhalla." Julie reassured Gunn and Wesley. "Sure, he likes to mess with my head, but he won't risk my life in dream state until the Eye's powers are out of me. Don't worry, guys, I have it under control."

"If you say so." Wesley sounded doubtful, but he left it at that. He would do his own research.

"Damn. I am hungry. Apparently, being asleep for almost two weeks really makes you crave a hamburger." Julie put a hand to her stomach as it started to grumble. Gunn offered her his arm. "Such a gentleman."

"I try." Gunn shrugged as he escorted her out of the room to go to get some food.

"Wesley, Angel is on the phone for you." Illyria's voice came over the intercom.

"Thank you, Illyria." Wesley sighed. Time to go continue to lie to his friend and boss.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Julie ran full tilt. As she reached the edge of the roof, she focused all her energy into her feet and pushed off with all her strength. She soured through the air, and amazingly made it to the next roof. She landed as gracefully as one could expect if they had just jumped 12 feet. After a very brief moment spent regaining her balance, Julie took off once again.

After apparently months spent searching for Valhalla in all the dream worlds he made up, Julie had finally figured out a spell that would trap him in just one. So now she was chasing him all over Budapest. A deserted Budapest, but that didn't exactly make it any easier.

Dodging yet another dagger thrown her way, Julie turned to find the source. Valhalla was on the street below her. Unfortunately, her powers didn't work here. She couldn't read his thoughts. She made a quick decision, and raised her hands into the air. She wanted this over with, and surrendering seemed to be the only way.

"I'm tired of this, Valhalla!" Julie shouted down to the demon lord. "Can't we just talk like civilized people... or whatever you would call yourself?"

"The only thing I am willing to discuss is you handing over the Eye's power." Valhalla was on the roof behind her before Julie could blink. "So just give it to me."

"You know why I can't do that." Julie took a step back. She didn't know what his plan for the Eye was, and she certainly did not want to find out. "Until you tell me what you plan to do with the Eye of Eden once it is powerful again, the power stays with me."

"So be it." Valhalla lunged at her, shocking Julie into action.

* * *

"Where is she?" Angel threw open the doors of the Hyperion Hotel. Wesley, Lorne, and a whole host of people were taken by surprise at the sudden burst.

"Angel, I am glad you could make it." Wesley nodded to the group of people as he stepped away. "Follow me."

"How did you find her?" Angel couldn't remember the last time he felt so relieved and panicked all at once. He followed Wesley up the stairs. "Did she tell you where she had been? How did she look? Is she okay?"

"I'll let you see her first before anything else is done." Wesley remained calm. He had hopes of Angel asking Julie such direct questions. That is if Julie spoke to him at all. After waking up, Julie had simply nodded and walked out of the room. Gunn had found her in Angel's room, but she wouldn't speak. "She is in your room. But Angel, I have to warn you. Don't push her. She hasn't spoken a word to any of us, and she won't eat. I suspect there is something wrong, but since she won't say anything, I can't be sure."

Angel didn't wait for Wesley to continue. He took off down the hall, rushing to get to his room. If something was wrong with Julie, he wanted to help in any way he could. He couldn't bear to see his angel in any sort of pain.

Angel paused briefly outside his bedroom door to calm down enough to creep in. The room was dark, and he waited a moment to let his eyes adjust. Julie lay on the bed, the covers pulled over her head. "Julie? Baby, are you okay?"

He sat lightly on the edge of the bed. He gently laid a hand on the lump in the middle of the bed. She was breathing; that was a good sign. He moved to pull the blankets off of her, but found that she had a vice grip-like hold on them.

"Baby, it's just me." Angel tried to coax her out from under her mountain of blankets. He sighed deeply, deciding to lie down next to her. He wrapped his arms around the pile hoping that it would somehow comfort her. "Julie, please talk to me."

He felt the mound of covers move, but that was it. Nothing else. Angel fought down the feeling of rejection that welled up in him. It was unfair for him to feel that way. He had no idea what she had been through or what she had seen. He had to be there for her and stop being so selfish.

* * *

Hours later, Angel jolted awake. He hadn't even been tired when he had first laid down with Julie. He must've nodded off rather quickly, though, because he didn't remember being there and waiting a long time. It took him a moment to gather himself and realize where he was. He patted at the pile of blankets beside him, only to find Julie not in there.

Panic rose quickly in Angel's chest, and he sat up. It was four in the afternoon. Maybe she had woken up and was hungry, or needed to use the bathroom, or wanted to stretch her legs, or went to check on something, or was sparring with Gunn... Angel's mind raced over the possibilities, each one an attempt to not think bad thoughts. But he couldn't. His thoughts kept turning to the worst case scenarios.

Finally having enough of assuming the worst, Angel threw off the covers and quickly got out of bed. He took a quick inventory of the room. The bathroom door was wide open, Julie's boots were gone, her hand-held crossbow was on the counter, all the lights were off, her cell phone was charging on the desk. All these things symbolized that, though she currently wasn't in the room, Julie had not left the Hyperion. A wave of relief washed over Angel, but he still slipped on his shoes and left.

"Have you seen Julie?" Angel asked when he got down to the front desk. Illyria was there talking to Gunn about a recently acquired case. "She's not up in our room."

"Yeah, she was heading for the library last I saw." Gunn nodded his head in the direction of the library. "She still wasn't talking, though."

"That's okay as long as she is safe." Angel assured Gunn that everything would be okay before taking off for the library. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Of course she would go to the one place she loved the most. She loved books; they seemed to calm her.

As he entered the library, Angel paused for a moment to take a deep breath. She was in the Reference section. Suddenly his heart leapt into his throat. What was he going to say to her? It had been three months since they had last seen or spoken to each other. What was it going to be like to see her face after such a long separation?

"She's studying Valhalla again." Wesley managed to sneak up on Angel. Angel jumped a little. He was still not used to not having vampire powers during the day.

"What do you mean 'again'?" Angel calmed down enough to ask.

"Since she has been here, she has spent every waking moment in here looking up all she can find on Valhalla." Wesley explained, careful about which words he used. He handed Angel a small leather bound book. "If you're planning on going over to see her, give her this. It might help."

"Okay. Thanks." Angel turned to walk away, but stopped. "Oh, and Wesley, thanks for calling me. I'm really glad you found her."

"Don't thank me." Wesley smiled and left the library. He felt horrible, and knew that if he stuck around, he would end up telling Angel everything. Wesley thought the news should come from Julie.

"Wesley wanted me to give you this." Angel approached Julie cautiously. She was sitting in an over-stuffed leather chair pouring over the reference books on the table in front of her. She looked up with a wild look in her eyes. "May I sit down?"

"Go for it. You own the chairs." Julie shrugged, forcing herself to calm down. She couldn't avoid him forever, even if she wanted to. "I'm sorry for not leaving you a note or something. I just had an idea, and I didn't want to lose it."

"What's your idea?" Angel jumped at the chance of possibly helping. After three months of basically doing nothing, he was ready to get back into the swing of things.

"Maybe we don't have to destroy the Eye of Eden." Julie paused to quickly jot down a reference number in her notebook. "Maybe we could find a way to burn the powers into me. Like a permanent lock or seal or something like that."

"Maybe... But that seems to be really dangerous." Angel frowned as he quickly processed what she was implying. "We've been over this, Julie. The Eye's powers are very strong, but we don't know the full extent of their strength. You shouldn't have even taken them out of the ring in the first place. We don't know what their affect on your body they will have."

"So I take it you're not going to help me then?" Julie glanced up long enough to see Angel shake his head. Julie snapped the book closed. "Alright, then I should get back to work. I have a lot of reading to do."

"Don't do that." Angel had to beat down his rising frustration. He hated when she shut him out, and for the last three months that was all she did. No way was he going to let her continue to do that.

"Don't do what?" Julie paused in her gathering of books. "Look, Angel, I got the ring back, but I have spent three days in here trying to find a way a) out of my bargain and b) to destroy the Eye of Eden. I haven't found a single thing that would help with either of those things. So either I live with the powers or we risk destroying the ring and you."

"Wait, back up. What sort of bargain?" Angel couldn't believe what he was hearing. If he understood correctly, Julie had foolishly struck a deal with the demon lord. "What did you bargain for?"

"Valhalla and I met in Budapest where I finally was able to confront him. With the Oracles as our witnesses, Valhalla and I made a deal." Julie started to explain. "In exchange for the ring, I have to pull my connection with the boss down below so Valhalla can be sent back to his own realm."

"And you believed him!?" Angel shouted as he stood up. He began to pace. "Come on, Julie! You were set up, and you took the bait."

"Hey!" Julie stood up as well, her anger rising rapidly. "Do not think me naive or stupid. The Oracles are directly connected to the Powers That Be. Having them as our witnesses was not an easy thing for me. Valhalla has to hold up his end.... And now I do too."

"What do you mean?" Julie's last words stopped Angel in his tracks. Worry creased his brow as his anger dissipated, and was replaced with concern.

"My powers are gone again." Julie held up her wrist to show Angel a new tattoo. "It's the mark of the Oracle. As soon as I hold up my end of the bargain, I get my powers back. Until then, I am stuck in the dark, and in this library."

"Are you okay?" Angel took a step toward Julie.

"I'll be fine." Julie dropped her arm. "I just need time, which my bargain has bought us. Do you think Wesley will mind if I borrowed some of his books, and brought them back with us to Sunnydale?"

"Well, considering most of them are from my personal collection... No I don't think he will." Angel laughed. He opened his arms, letting Julie step into them. "So you're coming back with me to Sunnydale?"

"I told you I wouldn't be gone long." Julie chuckled, hugging Angel tighter. She was happy to be back in his arms, but she knew he would eventually remember to ask her about where she had been. She also knew that he would hate the answer.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Look, I just don't think that we should have put all our trust into one person, even if that person is super strong." Xander sat down on the arm of the chair Anya was sitting, popcorn bowl in hand. "No offense, Buff, but she hasn't even called. How are we supposed to know that she is even doing her job?"

"I'm with Xander on this one." Faith agreed, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "How do we even know she is still on our side?"

"Oh, big shock there; Faith doesn't agree." Buffy was fed up with the... whatever it was between Julie and Faith. "One of these days, I am going to lock you two in a room and let you have at it for awhile. Maybe then some peace will happen."

"Fine, but has anyone ever realized that she is just as strong as Buffy?" Faith glanced around the room. "If she is supposed to be Buffy's opposite, how come she isn't like super weak or something?"

"We actually have discussed that." Giles spoke up, putting his glasses back on after polishing them a little. "Julie thinks it is because she is still a part of Buffy's soul; still a part of a Slayer. She is more than human, and, though she is Buffy's opposite, she still has some traits of a Slayer."

"I hope we're not interrupting anything?" Julie stood in the doorway to the living room with Angel beside her. A half smile cocked one side of her lips, her arms crossed, and an eyebrow raised.

"Julie. You're back?" Spike was the only one not shocked into silence. And he was the only one not embarrassed to be caught talking about Julie behind her back. He had no qualms admitting his issues with the Anti-Slayer, but no one cared to hear them.

"So you got the ring?" Willow was the next one to speak up, snapping out her shock. "Was it hard?"

"It could've been worse." Julie shrugged as she held up her necklace to show everyone proof of her success, and that the Eye of Eden was once again safe. "So what did we just walk in on? It looks like a war council of some sort."

"Oh nothing..." Dawn tried to act nonchalant. No one wanted to tell the Anti-Slayer that they severely doubted her motives. Well, almost no one did. Spike would gladly do it, smile and all.

"You realize that if you don't tell me, I could just walk into your minds and see for myself, right?" Julie warned them. She wasn't technically lying, there was a spell that could allow her to do it, so no pain shot through her brain. "Come on guys. I'm a big girl."

"Okay, since I seem to be the only one not afraid of you..." Faith stood up to face Julie. "It's been three months, and we haven't seen or heard from you since you left. Frankly, we were beginning to doubt what you are all about?"

"I got the ring back, didn't I?" Julie battled with herself to keep her anger in check. "What does it matter if I have been away for three months, or how I went about doing it? I got it back, end of story."

"No, not end of story." Faith grabbed Julie's arm to keep her from turning away. Julie had to keep herself from punching Faith. "You can't just expect to barge in and out of people's lives without there being consequences. I watched the love of your life slowly lose himself because of you. We were all stuck here not sure if we would have to fight soon or what. You don't really think about the consequences, do you?"

"That's funny, Faith, because from what I remember, neither do you." Julie wrenched her arm out of Faith's grasp. "Do not lecture me on consequences. Sure, you went to jail and have since reformed, but a few years ago you would have been right beside me cheering me on. Don't think I haven't heard of your exploits in my travels, even after your so-called reformation."

"I like to have a little fun once in a while. Sue me." Faith couldn't help but smirk. "But that's beside the point. I've learned from mistakes. Have you?"

"Of course I have." Julie defended herself. "You would have to be an idiot not to."

"You may be all wise in the ways of the world, but you seem to be completely stupid when it comes to humans." Faith ignored Julie, and just kept on going. "You seem to think that humans and demons are the same thing, and that means you can walk all over them without a heart."

"Damn straight I do." Julie agreed. "I do think I am above humans, and that's because I am. I am better than humans. And so what if I don't care that I can step on any and all toes that I want to? I may not be an actual demon, but 60 years in Hell will certainly lead you to believe you are."

"60 years!?" Dawn gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. She hadn't meant to say anything, at least not out loud.

"No wonder you're a bitch." Spike chuckled.

"They all seem to have accepted it, so give it a rest, Faith." Julie continued. "Look, fighting besides you could be great, or we could continue to hate each other. So what do you say? Truce?"

"Fine, truce." Faith shook Julie's outstretched hand. "I'm not promising anything, though."

"As long as you try." Buffy decided now was a good time to separate the two before the truce ended rather quickly. "So Faith, want to go out on patrol with me tonight? With Julie and the ring back in Sunnydale, we might even get some action."

"I will definitely be there." Faith was itching for a fight. She hadn't had a good fight since Valhalla had been in town, and she was really going stir crazy. "I haven't had a decent fight in months."

"Can I come?" Dawn asked hopefully, sitting up in her chair.

"Ah, that would be a big no." Buffy chuckled. For years Dawn had been begging to come out with Buffy, and some of the times she let Dawn tag along. "Not this time. Sorry Dawnie."

"Come on." Dawn was feeling what everyone was feeling, bored and needing to beat something good. Actually any fight would be considered a good fight for her. Unless of course she got hurt... That wouldn't be so good. "I haven't been on patrol in months. If I wait any longer, my skills will start to deteriorate."

"Come one, B, let the pipsqueak join us." Faith backed Dawn on this one. She agreed with what the younger Summers said. If you leave it too long, the skills will start to disappear. "She can learn from the masters."

"She already has, and my answer is still no." Buffy walked over to her weapons chest. She pulled out a few stakes, an axe, and a sword. Tossing the sword to Faith, Buffy collected a few more things before putting on her coat. Faith followed, shrugging her sympathies to Dawn. "And Spike, don't be getting any ideas about letting her patrol, especially about you going with her."

"It's like I'm already her kept boy." Spike grumbled, crossing his arms to pout. He slumped back into the couch.

"Aren't you, though?" Angel teased with a chuckle. Julie couldn't help but smirk. She tried hard not to laugh, but failed.

"Oh shut up." Spike glared at the couple. This caused the whole room to erupt in laughter. Dawn patted him on the shoulder sympathetically, while trying to contain her own laughter.

"We should get going." Julie turned to Angel to tell him softly. Angel nodded, and they backed out of the house silently. No one noticed that the odd couple had left, just the way they liked it.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry this is so short, but I used this chapter to answer a question that I had no other way of explaining. Hope this helps.**


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"So have you made any headway on the Altar of Christ or about how to destroy the Eye of Eden?" Julie asked two days later. The entire group had met at the Magic Box to discuss their next move.

"Not as of yet." Giles decided to take the reins with this one. "There were a few texts that said it was possible to use the Altar as a destruction method, but none of them have said how it is possible. We're following up on a few leads, but it doesn't look too promising. Also, Angel is planning a trip to LA to sign for the Host."

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Julie smiled at her boyfriend. She was surprised that she hadn't thought of that sooner. And to think she had just spent the last three months at the Hyperion with the loveable green demon. "Why didn't you sign for him when we were there?"

"Between you being back and a couple of cases that needed my attention, it had slipped my mind." Angel admitted with a shrug. Julie nodded; she understood where he was coming from. But I was thinking you and I could head up there in a day or two."

"Sounds good to me." Julie smiled. She was happy to be included in Angel's plans. Of course, he probably wouldn't be doing that if he knew her secret. Unfortunately for her, she had yet to come up with a way to get around not being able to lie. So her secret was just below the surface, and even a light scratch would release it. I should probably sing for Lorne as well."

"Why?" Spike raised a scarred eyebrow. From what he knew about Lorne, only one person had to sing for one issue.

"I'll be singing for a different issue." Julie was relieved that Spike was so easy for her to read sometimes. The Scoobie gang still didn't know that she had lost her powers, and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. "When Angel sings, Lorne will hopefully see something about his path in Hell. I won't be with you and Angel while you are down there. I will be up here holding the damn thing open."

"Ah, so that we can get back out." Spike nodded. It was all starting to make sense to him.

"So you and Angel will be going to LA, but is there anything we can do here while you are gone?" Willow asked. She really wanted to research something, and actually be of some help. The research had been pretty aimless the past couple of months, but she was ready to get back at it.

"Sorry Wil, but I can't think of anything for you guys to do. I assume you have researched the crap out of all the books available to you." Julie felt kind of bad breaking the news to Willow. She knew how badly the redhead wanted to help. "I guess you could try to find more books on the internet or something."

"What about the books from Wesley?" Angel suddenly remembered all the books Julie had brought back with her from the Hyperion. What surprised him was that Julie seemed to have forgotten all about them.

"Oh yeah. I guess I should go get them." Julie hopped off the table she had been sitting on. Angel frowned slightly, but handed her the car keys. "I'll be back very soon."

"Why does that make me feel uncomfortable?" Dawn asked as Julie left the store. Spike chuckled and patted Dawn's shoulder.

"Oh, for the record, you are not allowed to be in the same car as Julie is she is driving?" Buffy pointed at her younger sister. She had her patent Slayer authority look on so that Dawn would definitely follow instructions.

"Changing the subject, Angel, come on, you have to know what is wrong with Julie." Xander turned to the half vampire. "She's been spacey since she had come back to Sunnydale. She doesn't seem to be all there. So what's up?"

"I have no idea why she is all spacey." Angel shrugged. He knew Julie didn't want him saying too much about it, so he had to lie. "She has been like that since I found her. She is getting better, though. I mean, when we were at the hotel, she would hardly talk at all."

"That's bollocks!" Spike burst out. He couldn't believe that he was the only one who could see it. "I may be human, but I can still tell that it is gone."

"That what is gone?" Dawn looked between Spike and Angel. She was itching to know why she suddenly felt more comfortable around the Anti-Slayer. It didn't help that he school life was super boring, and she felt she needed to see some drama to perk up.

"Julie doesn't have her powers anymore." Spike announced, shocking everyone. "I don't know how, but she no longer has them. She can't read our thoughts, control emotions, and she can't open up the portal to Hell."

"How do you know all that?" Willow asked. She had to admit, she was mildly surprised. Every once in a while, Spike would actually come up with something plausible, and it would blow her mind.

"She would have thrown a shit-fit by now if she knew what I was thinking." Spike admitted. "I had to know. She seemed different when she came back from her trip, so I had to test my theory that she had lost her powers."

"Angel? Is that true?" Buffy was looking directly at her ex-boyfriend. She didn't care how Spike had figured it out. All that mattered to her was if it was true or not. She silently hoped that it wasn't. "Is Spike right?"

"You'll never cease to amaze me, William." Julie re-entered the Magic Box with an armload of ancient texts. Her voice got everyone's attention, and they all blushed. She set the stack of books on a table with a load bang. "It's true. I gave up my powers."

"Gave them up? Why?" Anya was beginning to panic. "Why would you do that? We needed them to open the portal. We helped you. And this is how you thank us. We spent three months researching and worrying, and now we find out that not only did you lie to us, you also made our efforts obsolete."

"I never lied to you." Julie insisted. She couldn't lie. Even without her powers, she couldn't tell even the whitest of lies. It was her curse, not her power. "Not once."

"It's like you think I am stupid, or something." Anya got right in Julie's face, much to the worry of everyone else. "You think I don't know it was you who stole the ingredients for Sleeper's Tea? Who else would know Bezoar could be replaced with Mandake leaves?"

"What is she talking about, Julie?" Angel stepped up beside his girlfriend. None of what Anya said made any sense to him. Why would Julie need Sleeper's Tea to hunt down Valhalla?

"So where did you do it?" Anya continued to push as if Angel hadn't just spoken. "You must've done it somewhere where you knew you would be safe. And we know you weren't in Sunnydale. Where were you? Tibet? Or somewhere a little closer to home?"

"Shut up, Anya." Julie warned.

"It's funny that about half way through you little hiatus, Wesley called to ask about the ingredients for Sleeper's Tea." Anya gave one last little push. But Julie wouldn't have any of it.

"I said... SHUT UP!" Julie yelled. She backhanded Anya across the room into the cash register counter. Breathing heavily, eyes blazing, Julie glared at her crumpled body.

The room remained silent as they all held their breath to see if Anya would get up. Xander sat motionless in utter shock as he watched his wife struggle to take a breath. Anya pushed herself up on shaky limbs, giving her head a rub. Slowly standing up, she straightened her clothes.

"I live on a Hellmouth. I was a Vengeance Demon for hundreds of years." Anya flipped her hair out of her now distorted face. "You are going to have to hit me a lot harder than that if you are planning on injuring me."

"You didn't tell us Anya was a Vengeance Demon again." Willow hissed at Xander, tugging on his shirt sleeve. She stopped when she realized that Xander didn't look as if he had known about this new discovery.

"And you thought I didn't know about your little trip down memory lane." Julie smiled wickedly. She was totally ready to take Anya down, even if it meant alienating herself from the people around her. "Anya, I've known since the day I met you, I just didn't say anything. Though I guess I shouldn't have expected the same courtesy from you."

"I can't just sit around and let you lead us into disaster." Anya braced herself for another attack, but Julie remained where she was. "I also think that after everything, Angel and all of us have the right to know... Where were you for the past three months?"

"I went around the world." Julie struggled to not say the complete truth. She only prayed that she wasn't asked another direct question about it. Partial truths had satisfied them in the past, but from the looks of things, she doubted it would be like that now.

"Like where?" Anya grinned, knowing she had Julie cornered.

"Paris, Budapest, Moscow, Beijing, Vancouver, Tel Aviv, and La Paz to name a few." Julie thought for a moment, trying to remember all the cities she had visited. "Of course everywhere in between too."

"And when you were awake? Where were you then?" Anya's grin turned into a full out smile. She was really enjoying watching Julie squirm.

"I was at..." Julie clamped her mouth shut. She fought hard to not continue her sentence, but she knew she was fighting a battle she had no choice but to lose. "The Hyperion Hotel."

"What are you saying, Julie?" Angel stepped forward. He moved between Anya and Julie so he could look his girlfriend right in the eyes. He planted his hands on her shoulders to keep her in one place when she tried to avoid him. "What do you mean?"

"I was at the Hyperion Hotel the whole time I was gone." Julie felt deflated as she let the truth out. "I had to go some place where I could be monitored closely and be safe. I didn't want to put you in anymore danger than I already had."

"Bull shit." Spike couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew something crazy was up, but he never thought it was would be that extreme.

"Excuse me." Julie glared at the bleached ex-vampire. "You know something I don't, Spike?"

"Bull shit." Spike repeated. "Don't sugar coat the real answer, Julie. You left because we are starting to make you feel human. And if you feel human, you can't just stomp around being angry at the world. Angel loves you, and you can't stand that. How could someone possibly love you and not be insane, am I right?"

"You're right." Julie was defeated. Though her first answer was true, Spike had read deeper and found the real big answer. "Loving me can only mean pain, so I figured that if I left to go deal with this elsewhere, things between Angel and I would fade."

"Haven't you ever heard the saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'?" Angel smirked. He was still deeply wounded by what Julie had done and the fact that his team in LA had lied to him about it. But he couldn't deny that he still loved her.

"I needed to see if that was true." Julie admitted. Relief flowed through her. It felt good to see him smile like that. "But it wasn't just that. Valhalla would've found me here, and it probably wouldn't have gone so well. I needed somewhere where he wouldn't think to look. He's smart, but sometimes he doesn't put two and two together very well."

"So what now?" Buffy snapped out of her shock to ask. She wasn't exactly thrilled that Julie had done that, but she couldn't turn back time to go and change it. "How are we supposed to get Angel and Spike into Hell if you lost your powers?"

"Gave up." Julie corrected. "I didn't lose them. I gave up my powers."

"And we've gone full circle." Willow jumped at the chance to learn the answer to the question that had been bugging her. "What do you mean, you gave up your powers?"

"I made a deal with a demon lord." Julie finally answered. "My powers for the ring. But don't worry. The Oracles oversaw the whole thing. I will get them back once I've convinced Lucifer to let Valhalla back into his own domain."

"Does anyone else feel like this is a trap?" Dawn spoke up. She had been mostly silent the whole time, but she felt that this was something that she needed to address.

"It's not. Don't worry." Julie insisted. "The Oracles work for the Powers That Be. There is no way they would let this become a trap."

"She's right." Angel agreed. "Though I haven't met the newest Oracles, the old ones were very just and very fair. Most importantly, they definitely stuck to their word."

"Well an Oracle is an Oracle is and Oracle." Tara shrugged. She had decided to mostly stay out of all the issues pertaining to Julie. The Anti-Slayer still made her super uneasy, but for the most part Tara didn't have a problem with her and wanted to keep it that way.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are we all forgetting that Julie has been misleading us for months?" Faith stood up to address the group. "She has been lying to us. Not directly, of course, but still. B, you can't just stand by and let her run the show. Especially after this."

"Actually, she can." Spike stood up for Buffy as he always had. "I don't always agree with Julie, but so far she has been right. About everything. She knows more about the Eye of Eden and Valhalla than we can ever learn, and she has connections in all the right places. So I say we listen to her."

"Thank you, Spike." Julie was genuinely grateful to have Spike on her side. "And I didn't know about you, but I am ready for some action."

"What sort of action?" Buffy asked, intrigued. The thought of fighting a demon was exciting. Her muscles ached for proper use.

"While Angel and I are gone, I want you guys to figure out how to open a gateway to Hell." Julie smiled as she began to gather her up some of her tings. "When we get back from LA, we are heading under."

"When do we leave?" Angel asked. He could tell that Julie wanted to leave sooner than was previously discussed.

"Right now, if you are okay with that." Julie searched Angel's face for anything that might suggest he didn't want to leave right away. She smiled slightly when she didn't find any protests. "Willow, I am counting on you to find the spell."

"See you in a day or two." Angel slipped his leather coat on, and searched his pockets for the car keys.

"Oh, and Anya, you might want to explain...that." Julie waved her hand toward Anya's face, drawing attention to Anya's demon facade. Julie smiled triumphantly over her shoulder as she and her boyfriend left the Magic Box.

Everyone turned to look at Anya, who had changed her appearance back to normal. She blushed a little and looked very sheepish. Xander's hurt look cut through her like a knife. A very sharp serrated knife. She had never meant for it to come to this.

"Xander..." Anya began, but Xander put his hand up to stop her.

"How could you, Anya?" Xander asked after a long moment. He couldn't bring himself to even look at his wife.

"D'Hoffryn was going to kill you if I didn't become a Vengeance Demon again." Anya was so ashamed. She hated she was hurting everyone, especially Xander. "I didn't think that you would still marry me if I had told you."

"You've been a demon since before our marriage!" Xander was completely shocked. He couldn't believe that she hadn't him.

"What was I supposed to do? He was going to kill you, Xander!" Anya found her voice again, and held her head high. She had done the right thing, and she knew it. "I love you, Xander. I definitely did not want to see you die. I haven't killed anyone; I hardly grant any wishes."

"But you still grant some?" Buffy had to step in. She was not at al comfortable with killing her friends, but she would if it came to that. "How many would you say?"

"Oh, maybe two a month." Anya shrugged. "I don't really grant wishes that will hurt anyone. Just small ones. I definitely pick and choose."

"Anyone we know of?" Willow was curious. With all the crazy things that happen daily in Sunnydale, it was hard to tell what was a wish and what was caused by the Hellmouth.

"No. I don't do any work in Sunnydale. I work mostly in LA and other cities close by." Anya explained. She was happy that her friends seemed to be accepting it, but Xander still wouldn't look at her. "Xander... I'm sorry."

"I know." Xander said quietly. He finally looked his wife in the eyes, and he realized that no matter what she was or what she did, he would always love her. He opened his arms wide and hugged Anya. "I love you, you crazy demon."

Anya laughed in relief as she hugged him back. She felt so much better having her secret out in the open. In a way she was grateful Julie had done all that she done.


End file.
